Trump denies knowing of hush payment to star

UNITED STATES: President Donald Trump has broken months of silence on his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, declaring that he didn’t know that his personal attorney paid the porn star to keep quiet just days before the 2016 US presidential election.

Trump made the denial yesterday while on his way back to the White House from West Virginia – the first time he has personally addressed Daniels’ claim that they had sex in 2006.

‘‘No,’’ Trump told reporters on board Air Force One when asked if he knew that his longtime attorney, Michael Cohen, gave US$130,000 to Daniels 12 days before the election.

Trump demurred when asked why Cohen made the hush payment. ‘‘You’ll have to ask Michael,’’ he said.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges that she signed a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for Cohen’s payment. The 39-year-old porn star is currently challenging the agreement in court, alleging that it should be voided because Trump never signed it.

Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, said it spoke volumes that Trump had refused to confirm whether he ever slept with Daniels.

‘‘It’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t have the gumption to deny the affair, because he knows that to do so would be an absolute lie,’’ Avenatti told the New York Daily News.

Avenatti said he would file a formal motion next week to have Trump and Cohen testify under oath in an open court.

A judge denied a similar motion from Avenatti last week, saying that it was prematurely filed.

Avenatti said he was hopeful that the second filing would be successful, since Trump’s Air Force One remark added another layer of confusion that could implore a judge to demand testimony from the president.

‘‘The strength of our case just went up exponentially,’’ Avenatti tweeted later yesterday. ‘‘You can’t have an agreement when one party claims to know nothing about it.’’

However, Cohen took Trump’s announcement as vindication.

‘‘That’s what I have been saying all along, and that’s what Michael

‘‘The strength of our case just went up exponentially. You can’t have an agreement when one party claims to know nothing about it.’’

Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels’ lawyer

has been saying all along,’’ a spokesperson for Cohen said in a statement. ‘‘Michael Cohen made the payment to protect business, family and reputation. It had nothing to do with the election.’’

Cohen admitted earlier this year that he paid Daniels, but has refused to say why, or whether Trump ever reimbursed him. Trump could have violated federal campaign laws if he in any way coordinated the payment.

Trump has remained uncharacteristically quiet about the matter, while Daniels and Avenatti have made numerous TV appearances resulting in damning headlines for the president.

Last month, Daniels told correspondent Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes that a mystery man once threatened to hurt her if she didn’t ‘‘leave Trump alone’’.

Daniels alleges that she and Trump had sex in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in the northern summer of 2006.

The steamy claims have dominated headlines for months, as the alleged tryst took place a few weeks after First Lady Melania Trump gave birth to Trump’s youngest son, Barron, according to court records. – NY Daily News