Los Angeles Times

Trump thinks we’ll buy this?

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Re “Story shift poses risk for Trump,” May 4

I think I’ve got it now. There was a nondisclos­ure agreement between two parties — pornograph­ic actress Stephanie Clifford, a.k.a. Stormy Daniels, and “David Dennison,” who is President Trump.

The contract, however, was unsigned by Trump and not even known to him. Neverthele­ss, it is claimed the document constitute­s a valid contract and, therefore, Daniels must keep her mouth shut. And there was no payoff by Trump. In fact, the White House has denied that Trump even had a relationsh­ip with Daniels.

But Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer, paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket — because, as we all know, that’s what lawyers do. And the fact that this happened right before the election is just a coincidenc­e.

Last month, when asked whether he knew about the payment, the president said no. But just this week, Rudy Giuliani said Trump paid back the $130,000. So Trump didn’t know about the hush money or its source or why it was paid, but it turns out he made the payoff he was unaware of to someone with whom he had no relationsh­ip, in satisfacti­on of a contract he never signed and didn’t even know existed.

I just don’t understand why there’s a problem with any of this. Barry Berkeley

Culver City

Now that the Trump presidency is unraveling, it would be instructiv­e for people to look for the 91second clip online titled “Capt. Queeg Loses It.”

“The Caine Mutiny,” a cinema classic from 1954, is replaying in 2018 as a tragic comedy. Rob Briner

Anaheim

P.T. Barnum is believed by some people to have said, “A sucker is born every minute.” While the great mid-19th century showman didn’t know Trump, Cohen or Giuliani, he clearly had them in mind.

I’ve got one thing to say about all this: We aren’t the suckers the president, his “fixer” and America’s mayor think we are. Denny Freidenric­h

Laguna Beach

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