LOS ANGELES (CNS) - One month after denying all knowledge of a $130,000 payment his attorney made to porn actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from discussing an alleged 2006 affair with the future president, Donald Trump admitted today he reimbursed his lawyer for the payment.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing Trump and his attorney, Michael Cohen, in federal court in Los Angeles seeking to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement she signed before the 2016 presidential election over her claim she had an affair with the married Trump a decade ago. Cohen has admitted paying her the $130,000 as part of that agreement and previously said he used his own money and was not reimbursed by Trump.
Trump, speaking to reporters on April 5 aboard Air Force One, denied all knowledge of the payment and said he did not know the source of the money.
On Wednesday night, however, Trump's newly hired attorney, Rudy Giuliani, admitted during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels.
Trump confirmed the reimbursement on Twitter Thursday morning.
``Mr. Cohen, an attorney, 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 between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA,'' Trump wrote. ``These agreements are very common among celebrities and people of wealth.
``In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford. The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair, despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll (sic) in this transaction.''
Cohen is under federal investigation in New York, and his attorney has conceded he could soon be indicted. Media reports out of New York have suggested Cohen is under investigation for potential tax fraud or campaign finance violations. His office and home were raided by federal agents last month, and documents pertaining to the Daniels agreement were among those seized.
On Thursday, various media outlets reported that federal agents had wiretapped Cohen's phones as part of their investigation, and at least one call with the White House was intercepted.
Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, said he was not surprised by Giuliani's revelation on Fox News that Cohen had been reimbursed by Trump, despite repeated public claims to the contrary.
``We predicted months ago that it would be proven that the American people had been lied to as to the $130K payment and what Mr. Trump knew, when he knew it and what he did in connection with it,'' Avenatti wrote on his Twitter page Wednesday night.
``Every American, regardless of their politics, should be outraged by what we have now learned. Mr. Trump stood on (Air Force One) and blatantly lied. This followed the lies told by others close to him, including Mr. Cohen. This should never be acceptable in our America. We will not rest until justice is served,'' he wrote.
A federal judge in Los Angeles last week put Daniels' lawsuit against Trump and Cohen on hold for 90 days so Cohen can focus on the federal probe in New York. The judge has yet to rule on a request by Trump and Cohen that the lawsuit be forced into closed-door arbitration, a move Avenatti is opposing.
Daniels claims in the lawsuit that the 2016 non-disclosure agreement is invalid because Trump never signed it.
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