Donald Trump's personal lawyer has told US media that he paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to a porn star who has said she once had an affair with the now US president. Long-time Trump attorney Michael Cohen said he was not reimbursed for the payment to the actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford and who goes by the stage name of Stormy Daniels.
Cohen told the New York Times, which first reported the story on Tuesday, that the payment was legal. He declined to give details such as why he made it, or if Trump was aware of the payment at the time.
"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," Cohen said, according to the Times. "The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone."
US media reports have said the payment was made one month before the November 2016 election to keep the liaison quiet. Trump was a private citizen when the 2006 sexual encounter with Clifford allegedly took place. He was married at the time and his wife Melania had given birth to their son less than four months earlier.
The payment was first reported last month by the Wall Street Journal. Cohen's statement to the Times marked the first time he acknowledged a role in what he termed a "private transaction." Cohen's revelation comes after the watchdog group Common Cause filed a federal complaint in January arguing that the payout may have violated campaign finance rules.
Based on publicly available information, Common Cause said they have "reason to believe" that money was "an unreported in-kind expenditure ... because the funds were paid for the purpose of influencing the 2016 presidential general," the group said in their legal filing.
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