WASHINGTON — The White House is pushing back against porn star Stormy Daniels’ allegations of an affair with President Donald Trump.
An attorney representing President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer- Michael Cohen- says there was no legal issue with a $130,000 payment Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“Mr. Cohen paid the $130,000, but the reason is to protect business, protect reputation, and to protect family, and you cannot speculate that it was to elect somebody President of the United States,” said David Schwartz.
Cohen maintains the money he paid to Daniels just before the Presidential election was never paid back by the Trump campaign or by Mr. Trump. Furthermore, he said it does not constitute a violation of campaign finance laws.
“It was not a campaign expense, this was a settlement.”
Daniels sat down for a widely watched interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday. She claims she had consensual sex with Mr. Trump in 2006.
“He knows I’m telling the truth.”
She and her lawyer described how the settlement was arranged and the non-disclosure agreement that came with it to stay quiet about the alleged relationship.
Some legal experts say the timing of the payment could present a problem.
“Why would they do this agreement at that time? The obvious answer is to affect the election results,” said CBS News Legal Analyst Rikki Klieman.
The White House dismisses Daniels’ story.
“The President doesn’t believe that any of the claims that Mrs. Daniels made last night in the interview are accurate,” said Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah.
The President did not mention Daniels on Twitter, but tweeted this yesterday: “So much fake news…never been more voluminous or inaccurate.”
Cohen says Daniels and her attorney face millions of dollars in damages for violating the non-disclosure agreement. The White House would not say if President Trump watched the “60 Minutes” interview.