Trump att’y: I paid Stormy my own $$
President Trump’s personal lawyer reportedly admitted that he paid off a porn star who allegedly had an affair with his boss — but insisted that the payout was his own money and not connected to the Trump Organization or campaign.
Michael D. Cohen said in a statement to The New York Times Tuesday that he paid Stormy Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — $130,000 in 2016, but he did not say why the payment was made.
“Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly,” the statement read.
“The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.”
Cohen would not respond to follow-up questions about the payment, the paper said.
The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Daniels was paid for her silence when she threatened to come forward with details of hotel-room romps with Trump in 2006.
Their first alleged ro- mantic encounter took place after they met at a July 2006 celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
The tryst occurred one year after Trump’s marriage to now-First Lady Melania and just months after the birth of their son, Barron, the Journal reported.
Daniels had reportedly been in touch with ABC’s “Good Morning America” shortly before the 2016 presidential election.
After allegations of the affair became public, In Touch Weekly in January published a 2011 interview of Daniels’ account of their affair.
Daniels called sex with Trump “textbook generic” and claimed he called her “every 10 days” afterward.
In recent media appearances, Daniels has dodged questions about the alleged affair, refusing to confirm or deny if she accepted a payment to keep quiet.