Trump: We Paid Stormy to Stop Her Lies

President says no campaign funds used in 'private matter'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted May 3, 2018 7:50 AM CDT
Trump: No Campaign Money Used for Stormy
President Trump leaves the White House in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Trump agrees with Rudy Giuliani on one key point: Trump says the payment to Stormy Daniels did not come from his political coffers and thus did not run afoul of campaign finance laws. "This was a private agreement," Trump tweeted Thursday morning. "Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction." The president was responding to Giuliani's surprise revelation Wednesday night that Trump reimbursed attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 that Cohen paid to the adult film star to keep quiet about an alleged affair. Trump had previously denied knowing about the payment, notes the Hill.

Cohen "received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract" with Daniels," the president wrote. The resulting non-disclosure agreement "was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair," Trump wrote, adding that such deals are common "among celebrities and people of wealth." While Trump's team argues that the 2016 payment was legal in terms of campaign rules, some analysts aren't so sure about that. (More President Trump stories.)

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