Trump discloses payment to attorney who paid off porn star

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President Donald Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than 100,000 US dollars last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show.

The disclosures, released Wednesday by the US government ethics body, do not specify the reason for the payments to Michael Cohen, who paid 130,000 US dollars to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 while he was married. The president denies the affair, and initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public with the allegations.

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

Trump's claim began to unravel early this month, however, after Rudy Giuliani, a new member of the president's legal team, said Trump the president in fact reimbursed Cohen for the payments to Daniels.

A footnote to disclosures submitted Tuesday to the Office of Government Ethics said Cohen had incurred "expenses" on Trump's behalf in 2016 of between 100,000 US dollars and 250,000 US dollars.

"Mr Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr Trump fully reimbursed Mr Cohen in 2017," it said.

Clifford is suing to be released from the hush agreement, claiming it is invalid because Trump never signed it.

Cohen, meanwhile, now finds himself under investigation by federal prosecutors, who seized reams of evidence in raids on his home and office last month, but have not revealed what crimes he is accused of.

He also stands accused of seeking to cash in on his proximity to the president, after it emerged he received millions of dollars from a Russian oligarch and major corporations seeking access to the administration.

Source(s): AFP