President Donald Trump ‘fessed up. The real estate mogul, 71, admitted in a trio of tweets on Thursday, May 3, that he reimbursed his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 hush payment that Cohen, 51, made to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
“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 tweeted. “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. [Stephanie] Clifford (Daniels).”
The president claimed the NDA “was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations” that Daniels, 39, made about having an affair with him in 2006, the same year that he and wife Melania Trump welcomed their son, Barron, now 12. He then denied that “money from the campaign, or campaign contributions” played a role in the payment to the porn star.
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. These agreements are…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
…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 (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
…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 in this transaction.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
Trump’s tweets came just hours after his newly appointed attorney Rudy Giuliani first asserted on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show that the former Celebrity Apprentice host had reimbursed Cohen. The former New York City mayor’s revelation contradicted Trump’s April 5 claim to reporters aboard Air Force One that he was unaware of the transaction.
Daniels detailed the alleged affair in a March 25 interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes. She said at the time, “I’m not OK with being made out to be a liar, or people thinking that I did this for money and people are like, ‘Oh, you’re an opportunist. You’re taking advantage of this.’ Yes, I’m getting more job offers now, but tell me one person who would turn down a job offer making more than they’ve been making, doing the same thing that they’ve always done? … I have no reason to lie.”