U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 3 money from his presidential campaign was not used to pay off adult-film star Stephanie Clifford, a.k.a. Stormy Daniels, publicly acknowledging the payment for the first time and denying any sexual encounter with her years ago.
In a series of tweets, Mr. Trump said he had reimbursed his lawyer Michael Cohen the $130,000 that Mr. Cohen paid Ms. Clifford in 2016 as part of a contract for her silence over an alleged one-night stand with Mr. Trump in 2006. “Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll (sic) in this transaction,†Mr. Trump wrote.
His comments come after former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who joined Mr. Trump’s legal team in April, said on May 2 Mr. Trump had repaid Mr. Cohen the hush money that was given to Ms. Clifford.
Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One in April that he did not know about the payment to Ms. Clifford or the source of the money. The White House has denied that Mr. Trump ever had sex with Ms. Clifford.
Asked about the latest remarks by Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Trump, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told Fox News on May 3 she could not comment as the litigation was ongoing.
Mr. Giuliani, in an interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends programme on May 3, said Mr. Trump did not know the details of the arrangement until about 10 days ago, saying the agreement with Ms. Clifford was made for personal reasons in an effort to protect Mr. Trump’s family.
Ms. Clifford, has filed two lawsuits against Mr. Trump, one to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she had signed in October 2016 just ahead of the November presidential election in exchange for the $130,000, and another for defamation. Asked about the President’s tweets on May 3, her lawyer Michael Avenatti told MSNBC the President had opened himself up to another possible lawsuit for defamation. “Our case just got exponentially better,†Mr. Avenatti said. “This is not about sex... this is about a cover up.â€
A combination photo shows adult film actor Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, speaking in New York City on April 16, 2018, and U.S. President Donald Trump speaking in Washington, Michigan on April 28, 2018. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
In his posts on May 3, Mr. Trump said the 2016 contract was used to stop what he described as “the false and extortionist accusations made by (Ms. Clifford) about an affair,†and that it had been violated.
Ms. Clifford discussed her 2006 encounter with Mr. Trump in an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes that was broadcast in March .
Mr. Avenatti has said that appearance did not violate the agreement because Mr. Trump had not signed the contract.