Trump's lawyer funneled $130,000 to ex-porn star just before 2016 election to buy her silence on claims she had sexual encounter with now president
Donald Trump's lawyer reportedly paid off an ex-porn star a month prior to the election who allegedly had a sexual encounter with the billionaire a decade before he was president, a report on Friday revealed.
The Wall Street Journal says that Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, arranged for Stephanie Clifford, whose stage name was Stormy Daniels, to be paid $130,000 in October of 2016 so that she would keep quiet.
According to the Journal, Trump, 71, and Clifford, 38, met at a celebrity golf tournament in July of 2006. The Lake Tahoe event is where the sexual encounter is said to have taken place.
Cohen, the White House and Clifford have all denied that a steamy affair ever took place.
Donald Trump 's lawyer reportedly paid off an ex-porn star a month prior to the election who allegedly had a sexual encounter with the billionaire a decade before he was president, a report on Friday revealed
Trump's alleged tete-a-tete with Daniels is not synonymous with the sexual harassment allegations that have been dogging the president. Their encounter is said to have been consenual
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels presents a creation by Junker Designs during a fashion show debuting the company's new collection at the Rainbow Bar & Grill as part of the MAGIC convention August 28, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Clifford said in a Jan. 10 statement, which she signed with her stage name, that neither the affair nor the payoff took place.
'If I did indeed have a relationship with Donald Trump, trust me, you wouldn't be reading about it in the news,' Clifford said in the statement that Cohen provided to news outlets, 'you would be reading about it in my book.'
The future president was already married to his third wife, Melania Trump, the current first lady of the United States, at the time of the reported rendezvous. The couple wed in 2005.
People familiar with the matter told the Journal that Cohen, the longtime head of the Trump Organization's legal department, worked out a nondisclosure agreement with Clifford's attorney to keep the matter quiet last year.
Clifford said in a Jan. 10 statement, which she signed with her stage name, that neither the affair nor the payoff took place
Cohen did not comment on the $130,000 when asked about the payoff, the Journal says. Instead, the Trump lawyer replied, President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence as has Ms. Daniels.'
'This is now the second time that you are raising outlandish allegations against my client. You have attempted to perpetuate this false narrative for over a year; a narrative that has been consistently denied by all parties since at least 2011,' he reportedly said.
The Journal had previously reported that Daniels had been in talks with Good Morning America in 2016 to make an appearance.
It also claimed the National Enquirer's parent company bought a former Playboy centerfold model's story for $150,000 three months before the election only to bury it.
The future president was already married to his third wife, Melania Trump, the current first lady of the United States, at the time of the reported rendezvous. The couple wed in 2005
The White House slapped down the Journal's latest report on Trump's alleged affair with Clifford.
'These are old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election,' a spokesperson told the publication.
Clifford also said in a statement: 'Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false.'
A lawyer for Clifford, Keith Davidson, confirmed that that he had previously represented the porn star.
However, he said, 'Attorney-client privilege prohibits me from commenting on my clients’ legal matters.'
Cohen no longer works for the Trump Organization. He left after close to a decade after the election. He still acts as Trump's personal attorney, however.
Trump's alleged tete-a-tete with Clifford - aka Daniels - is not synonymous with the sexual harassment allegations that have been dogging the president. Their encounter was said by the Journal to have been consensual.
The check to the former adult film star that the Journal revealed would have landed just as Trump was being lambasted in the press for his claim on a 2005 tape that because he was a star he could grab women 'by the p***y' with no recourse.
Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who is said to have arranged the payment is pictured
The president apologized for the comments and denied that he'd ever sexually assaulted women.
Prior to winning the presidency, Trump sat atop the Trump Organization. The real estate mogul was also the star of 'The Apprentice' and 'The Celebrity Apprentice.'
Clifford appeared in 150 porn films, the Journal reported, and had a relationship with Trump when she was 27.
The president is said to have had a sexual encounter with her at the American Century Championship in 2006 at Edgewood Tahoe golf course in Nevada.
Porn star Jessica Drake also claims that she had an encounter with Trump at the same golf event - but she says hers was not consensual. She has accused Trump of forcibly kissing her and two other women in a hotel suite.
The White House pointed the Journal to a campaign statement that called her claim 'totally false and ridiculous' for its report on Clifford.
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