Trump lawyer ‘paid ex-porn star $130k hush money’, claims paper
DONALD TRUMP’S lawyer paid an ex-porn star $130,000 just before the election in an agreement that kept her silent over an alleged sexual encounter, The Wall Street Journal has claimed.
The payment was arranged in October 2016 by Michael Cohen, a top attorney to The Trump Organization for more than a year, according to the newspaper.
The woman in question is Stephanie Clifford – stage name Stormy Daniels – a veteran of more than 150 adult films.
She alleged the encounter took place in July 2006 at a celebrity golf event in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, according to people referenced in the report. Mr Trump married Melania Trump in 2005.
A White House official told The Wall Street Journal: “These are old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election.”
Mr Cohen told the paper: “President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence, as has Ms. Daniels.” He also hit out at The Wall Street Journal’s “outlandish allegations” against Mr Trump and said the paper had been trying to “perpetuate” a “false narrative”.
It is not known whether Mr Trump was aware of the payment, The Wall Street Journal reported. There is also no suggestion that the alleged sexual encounter was non-consensual.
Ms. Clifford was 27 at the time she met Mr Trump in 2006. A photo uploaded that year by Ms Clifford on her Myspace account shows the pair together. In the autumn of 2016, Ms Clifford was in talks with ABC’S Good Morning America to discuss Mr Trump, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
Mr Trump faced a string of sexual harassment claims in the run-up to the US election – all of which he denied in the strongest terms. That followed a leaked video showing Mr Trump boasting of grabbing women “by the p **** ”.
Ms. Clifford did not respond to requests for comment, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Mr Cohen sent a two-paragraph statement from Ms Clifford which denied “a sexual and/or romantic affair” with Mr Trump. It went on: “Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false.”