Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen told the New York Times that he had paid $130,000 from his own pocket a month prior to the 2016 US presidential election to a porn star who had alleged that the US president had a sexual affair with her back in 2006.
According to the lawyer, he didn't receive any money from the Trump Organization or the Trump campaign to pay Stephanie Clifford, commonly known by her stage name Stormy Daniels.
"The payment to Ms. Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone," Cohen said, adding that he delivered the same statement to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
The FEC was asked by Common Cause, a government watchdog, to investigate the source of the $130,000 payment. At the same time, according to the lawyer, "the allegations in the complaint are factually unsupported and without legal merit."
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Cohen's statement comes a month after the Wall Street Journal published a report alleging that the porn star was paid $130,000 in October 2016 to keep silent over her affair with Trump that allegedly occurred a decade beforehand, a year after Trump had married Melania.
However, later, the adult movie star issued a statement in which she reiterated her denial of allegations that she had a liaison with US President Donald Trump "many, many, many years ago."
"The fact of the matter is that each party to this alleged affair denied its existence in 2006, 2011, 2016, 2017 and now again in 2018. I am not denying the affair because I was paid ‘hush money’ as has been reported in overseas owned tabloids. I am denying this affair because it never happened," she said.
