Donald Trump’s Lawyer Admits He Paid Stormy Daniels With His Money

President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael D. Cohen said Tuesday he paid Stephanie Clifford, the adult film actress who once claimed she had an affair with Trump, $130,000 out of his own pocket. He added he was not reimbursed for the payment, which was made in 2016 to prevent Clifford from going public with her claims.

In a statement, Cohen said, “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 payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.”

He added in the statement he will always support Trump. The president had denied having an affair with the actress who goes by the name Stormy Daniels.

He added he gave the Federal Election Commission (FEC) the same statement after government watchdog group Common Cause filed a complaint saying the payment made through a limited liability company was a contribution to Trump’s campaign.

Business Insider reported last month Cohen had set up a company named Essential Consultants LLC on Oct. 17, 2016, and had used the firm’s bank account to transfer Clifford the money. Cohen denied these reports.

“The complaint alleges that I somehow violated campaign finance laws by facilitating an excess, in-kind contribution,” he said. “The allegations in the complaint are factually unsupported and without legal merit, and my counsel has submitted a response to the F.E.C.”

Cohen refused to make any more comments about Common Cause’s complaint or the payment.

It was the Wall Street Journal that reported Jan. 12 Cohen paid Clifford $130,000 as part of a non-disclosure settlement before the presidential elections of 2016. Cohen had denied the claims then. The White House also denied allegations about the matter.

In a statement, Cohen said: "President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence as has Ms. Daniels.”

Clifford, who appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Jan. 30 did not confirm nor deny the affair. But, a day before the interview, she posted a statement on Twitter, saying: “My involvement with Donald Trump was limited to a few public appearance and nothing more. ... When I met Donald Trump, he was gracious and professional." This statement was sent by Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen when the allegations first surfaced.

She hinted during the interview she might not have signed the statement.

But, earlier last month InTouch Weekly published an interview with Cliffords in which she said about her affair with Trump, “[The sex] was textbook generic. … I actually don’t even know why I did it, but I do remember while we were having sex, I was like, ‘Please, don’t try to pay me.’”