Giuliani: Trump repaid lawyer for porn star 'hush money'

World
Europe

Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who joined President Donald Trump’s legal team last month, said on Wednesday evening that Trump repaid the 130,000 US dollars his lawyer gave to an adult-film star to buy her silence about an alleged affair with the president.

The revelation appears to contradict the president's version of events. Trump has said he did not know about the payment to Stormy Daniels, who says she had a one-night stand with Trump in 2006.

Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, the money in 2016 to keep quiet about the alleged sexual encounter before the presidential election.

Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani introduces Donald Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, US, October 22, 2016. /VCG Photo

In a wide-ranging interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and longtime friend of Trump, said the president knew about the 130,000 US dollar payment and reimbursed Cohen.

"They funneled it through a law firm and the president repaid it,” Giuliani said.

"He didn’t know about the specifics of it, as far as I know, but he did know about the general arrangement that Michael would take care of things like this."

He said the payment did not violate campaign finance laws because it was not drawn from Trump campaign funds.

"When I heard Cohen’s retainer of 35,000 US dollars, when he was doing no work for the president, I said ‘That’s how he’s repaying, with a little profit and a little margin for paying taxes for Michael,’’’ Giuliani told Fox News.

Adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, speaks outside US Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (R) on April 16, 2018, in Lower Manhattan, New York. /VCG Photo

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

When asked by reporters on April 5 if he knew about the payment to Daniels, Trump responded, “No.” Asked why Cohen made the payment, Trump said: “You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. You’ll have to ask Michael.”

Cohen has said he paid Daniels out of his own pocket and was not reimbursed by Trump, the Trump Organization or the Trump campaign.

The White House has denied Trump had sex with Daniels, who has sued Trump and Cohen to be released from a non-disclosure agreement. She argues it was invalid because Trump never signed it, and has also sued Trump for defamation.

Cohen's office, home and a hotel he uses in New York were raided by the FBI in April. Investigators are thought to be looking into his business dealings.

(With input from agencies)