Giuliani: Trump repaid Cohen $130,000 for Stormy Daniels hush agreement
Rudy Giuliani said on Wednesday evening that President Donald Trump reimbursed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment Cohen had made to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, contradicting the president’s account of what he knew of the arrangement for keeping her silent about an affair she says she had with Trump.
“I’m giving you a fact that you don’t know,” Giuliani, the former New York mayor who recently joined the president’s legal team, told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “It’s not campaign money. No campaign finance violation. They funneled through a law firm and the president repaid it.”
That seemed to contradict Trump’s public statements on the payment, which has become a subject of a criminal investigation into Cohen, whose residences and office were raided by the FBI last month.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One in early April, Trump replied, “No,” when asked, “Did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels?”
The details of the payment, and whether and when Trump knew about it, have important legal implications. A payment intended to protect his campaign from political damage could be a violation of campaign finance law. As a candidate, Trump was permitted to spend an unlimited amount of his own funds on his campaign, but such sums should have been reported to the Federal Election Commission.
Cohen has also insisted that he used his own money and was not reimbursed for the payment by the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization. Cohen has never publicly said whether Trump paid him back for the money shelled out to Daniels.
In his Fox interview, Giuliani went on to say that Trump “didn’t know about the specifics about it, as far as I know. But he did know about the general arrangements.” The former prosecutor and mayor indicated that Trump reimbursed Cohen through a series of payments of about $35,000, with some extra funds added to cover taxes and perhaps other services rendered. Reports indicated Cohen may have been paid as much as $460,000.
Giuliani's emphasis that the payment did not involve campaign funds seemed to be an attempt to preserve the legal argument that the money was paid for personal reasons unrelated to the campaign.
Trump's statement last month that he did not know about the payment is likely to be closely scrutinized by investigators, although neither the reporter asking the question nor Trump clarified just when he learned about the payment. Prosecutors sometimes cite false public statements as part of an attempt to obstruct justice by confusing investigators.
In a separate interview later Wednesday, Giuliani insisted his disclosure about Trump's reimbursement of Cohen was no gaffe and that it was discussed with Trump in advance.
"He was well-aware that at some point when I saw the opportunity, I was going to get this over with," Giuliani told the Washington Post, adding that he discussed the issue with the president "probably 4 or 5 days ago." The former U.S. attorney said he didn't think he was at risk of being fired over his comments.
"No! No! No! I'm not going to get fired," Giuliani told the Post. "But if I do, I do. It wouldn't be the first time it ever happened. But I don't think so, no."
Giuliani's comments suggested that federal prosecutors in New York who are investigating Cohen were likely already aware of the repayment. from Trump, and that Trump's involvement was likely to become public at some point anyway.
Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, filed a lawsuit earlier this year against Trump and Cohen over a hush agreement that she argues is not binding because Trump never signed it. The president has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Daniels on Monday filed another lawsuit against Trump accusing him of defamation for an April 19 Twitter posting in which he suggested that she had fabricated story about being threatened in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 by a man who told her: “Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.”
“I am absolutely speechless at this revelation,” Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ lawyer, said in a phone interview late Wednesday on MSNBC. “I hope that your viewers and I hope that the American people upon hearing this and watching that clip, they should be outraged.”
Avenatti went on to say that Americans “deserve to be told the truth by your president and the people that stand at the podium at the White House … briefing press conference.”
“The American people have been lied to about this agreement, about the $130,000, about the reimbursement, and this is consistent about what we have been saying now for months, that was ultimately going to be proven and ultimately going to come out,” he said. “We just didn’t know that Rudy Giuliani was going to go on the Sean Hannity show and admit it on national television.”
Trump critics said Giuliani’s acknowledgment of the president’s role put the president in further legal jeopardy.
“Rudy Giuliani tonight put President Trump in legal peril for ‘knowing and willful’ violations of campaign finance law,” said Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center, a group which filed formal complaints about the episode with the FEC and the Justice Department. “Giuliani seemingly thought he was doing President Trump a favor — but instead made Trump’s legal problems much, much worse. ... Trump’s own lawyer has now handed the DOJ evidence that President Trump committed criminal violations of federal law.”
Giuliani also said, after being asked by Hannity to clarify, that the “money that was paid by his lawyer, the president reimbursed that over the period of several months.”
Hannity pressed Giuliani, saying that Cohen said he paid the money on his own without being asked.
“I don't know,” Giuliani replied. “I haven’t investigated that, no reason to dispute that, no reason to dispute his recollection.”
Revelations about Daniels and Trump’s involvement was not the only thing Giuliani revealed Wednesday evening to Hannity.
In the same wide-ranging interview, Giuliani also railed at length against the federal investigation into Russian election influence, which has focused in part on whether Trump himself might have colluded with the Kremlin or sought to obstruct justice after the investigation was launched.
“This is a completely tainted investigation,” Giuliani told Hannity.
He also delivered harsh attacks on former FBI Director James Comey, who he said he believed to be the “core” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of the president. Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an act that many experts say could be interpreted as an effort to obstruct justice.
“I know James Comey. I know the president. Sorry, Jim, you’re a liar, a disgraceful liar,” Giuliani said. “Every FBI agent in America has their head down because of you.”
Giuliani repeatedly said he intended to be “objective” toward his approach to Mueller’s request for an interview with Trump. He said that he probably wouldn’t under today’s circumstances, but that he hadn’t totally closed his mind to it. But he peppered his remarks with bruising attacks on the special counsel’s investigation.
“You can’t possibly not feel as a citizen of the world that [the president’s] negotiations with North Korea are much more significant than this totally garbage investigation,” he said, calling the process “an outrageous miscarriage of justice.”
Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/02/giuliani-trump-cohen-stormy-daniels-566029
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This leads to more questions:
What questions?
What else has Trump lied about that his followers have accepted as the absolute truth?
Most of us can see through Trump's lies, but his followers have blinders on.
That's easy, just about everything he says is either a blatant lie, a half truth or an omission of the truth.
What kind of lies are you talking about. Can you give us some examples? The left wingers sure didn't seem to be bothered by all lies the Clintons have told the past three decades
Trumpp lies, oddly enuff, even in bed
It seems that there is a contradiction here, but a good one.
Did Giuliani just remove the burden from the shoulders of Michael Cohen?
Did Giuliani just take away Mueller's leverage over Cohen?
Read my comments and learn
I would say yes to both, because Trump claims he paid Cohen out of his personal funds, not campaign funds. Mueller is trying to establish the improper use of campaign funds was the total reason for the raid on Cohen's files and records. It appears that this latest news leaves him (Mueller) empty handed yet again.
Learn what?
Trump’s Lies
Here's a list of a few hundred of his lies. Before you complain, yes I already know that is is only a very small percentage of his total lies that I've listed.
Yes, it's a turning point for Cohen and that silly idea about Cohen being "flipped"
But if Trump hasn't done anything wrong like he and his supporters claim, why are they so concerned that Cohen might flip?
What is he supposedly going to "flip" about? The left hast told us
Like how long will this horse be beaten until it is dead?
I am guessing that Mueller is going to be the one 'answering' the questions. I presume he has taken most everything of significance out of Cohen's office already - would not Giuliani's claims be supported/not supported within all the 'evidence' the investigation obtained?
Of all the women that have come forward with allegations against the President - Stormy Daniels 'one night stand' without a condom makes front page news ... go figure. GO MEDIA!
When the investigation is finished is when it will end dear.
Not only will the dear be seen
buy the headlights, obscene ,
but it will be the "end dear" , of Trump,
n it certainly can't come soon enough
I believe he just lost his campaign violation case. Now there are minor infractions on the Daniels case, but those will have to wait until Trump is out of office
oh you want to go back to the Mueller investigation. Ok, Giuliani also took aim at that:
He also delivered harsh attacks on former FBI Director James Comey, who he said he believed to be the “core” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of the president. Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an act that many experts say could be interpreted as an effort to obstruct justice.
“I know James Comey. I know the president. Sorry, Jim, you’re a liar, a disgraceful liar,” Giuliani said. “Every FBI agent in America has their head down because of you.”
That is part of the problem for Mueller. His investigation is heavily invested in two things 1) Things that the FBI did under James Comey, like that FISA warrant and 2) he said/she said one on one conversations between Trump and Comey. The fact that Giuliani called Comey's credibility into question goes to the heart of the Mueller investigation. The IG coming report on Comey (he appears to be going down) will severely derail Mueller's "investigation"
Donald Rump - the trick to telling a lie is to stick to your story. How many times has it changed now?
What difference did it make?
Hmmm, why does this sentence ring a bell. Worked for Clinton, the undying supporters of Trump can only hope it works for them!
It made a good difference - Guiliani just signaled Cohen - We'll take that off your shoulders
context is everything,
accept,
nothing...
Not to Trump haters who claim that his reasons for firing Comey were to stop the investigation. I guess Giuliani straightened that out for the haters of Trump. Comey told Trump 3 times he wasn't under investigation, but would not tell the American people the same thing, thus he was fired. If Mueller thinks he can get collusion out of that, he's out of his Trump hating mind.
Guiliani's attempt to get out in front of what has been learned from the Cohen's trove if information is evident for all to see and hear. The Air Force One "NO" wasn't long ago so either our President's new attorney is lying or Trump lied My $ is on Trump lying. No brainer... tick, tock, tick, tock
What "trove" of information are you talking about?
That is true, but Cohen must be feeling a lot better and the campaign violation is gone. There are smaller issues left - this now amounts to a loan issue - but I think it was a stroke of genius by Giuliani
No it isn't. It was actually made worse by Guiliani. The funds were paid to help keep the story from hurting the Trump campaign. If he did it for that reason and the funds weren't reported, then that's the campaign fund violation.
Link
Only if your'e watching CNN. The President paid Cohen monthly (as a retainer) for doing things Trump had no time for. So if Cohen made the Daniels deal without the President knowing, it's not a campaign violation. BTW the President is allowed to donate to his own campaign.
If he did it for that reason and the funds weren't reported, then that's the campaign fund violation.
Did he?
We shall see.
I don't watch CNN.
Good for you. Most people don't
The lines from talking heads over this new revelation last night on MSNBC were better than my last experience at a comedy club. Trump's life is a comedy gold mine that never stops producing. The best one was probably "well, Trump has set himself up nicely for an appeal due to inadequate representation."
Sorry Mike you finally met your match!
OK here is a dictionary of trumpisms: 1. "believe me people= he is lying 2. "The most, best, biggest etc.." = not true either 3. "We'll have to wait and see what happens.." = he hasn't a clue what he is going to do.
He changes his story more than he changes his underwear
Ooh ooh ooh if he says 100% that means a zero chance.
So does Comey. Mueller is screwed
Because Trump lies every day, it's probably true that the lies he has now been proven of making in the last few weeks concerning Cohen, Daniels, etc, don't have as much impact as if they had been made by an otherwise honest man.
Um-hum a lie. And Giuliani set 'em all free with a "truth"
Cohen secretly paid off Stormy Daniels weeks before the election so that her story would not effect Trump's chances to beat Hillary.
There isn't a single syllable Cohen or Trump or Giuliani have said or can say to disprove this fact.
There was a presidential debate right after this payment was made. Imagine if Daniels had gone public just prior to the debate and the publicity it would have garnered.
Ya but it was with a LOAN which did not come from campaign donations!
Totic Trump sounds like a good new nickname for this guy.
Clean up on aisles 6,7,8 and 10...pronto !
I fear all of you have missed the most important point here.
It is time to become schooled in the diversions of Trumpism.
Giuliani has very conveniently opened the door for the republicans to initiate another investigation into Hillary Clinton because it is now obvious that Clinton forcibly strong-armed Cohen and Trump into the 'Stormy liaison'. It will be proven that Trump was an unwilling participant, literally held hostage and subject to all sorts of degrading things by the evil democrat cartel.
s/
Actually he ended the campaign violation problem for Cohen
All I can think of is the famous quote from Marmion by Sir Walter Scott. "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
We saw this president start his administration based on lies and deceit. It has continued until the latest count has surpassed 3001. With that many lies, it is almost impossible to keep them straight or to determine which lie you actually told in what situation. Ergo, a virtual army of lawyers representing the President on every side trying to come up with new stories that they hope will minimize the damage done by the president.
The problem is that some of his attorneys {like Giuliani} are as adept at lying as the president, so we get competing lies. Who can tell the bigger whopper? Now the hole keeps getting deeper and the crap coming out of this administration and its clown car team of attorneys is going to be nominated for an Emmy for best new comedy series.
The real problem - for you Trump haters - is that your most important witness, James Comey is also a proven liar. That's game, set, match.
All I can think of is the famous quote from Marmion by Sir Walter Scott.
Iv'e got a more appropriate one from Lavrentiy Beria, head of Stalin's Secret Police:
"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime"
So RG states that Trump repaid the money. Until now, Trump says he knew nothing about the original pay out because after all, there was no affair. Considering he has a history of not paying money to people he owes, why would he repay money paid out for a non existent affair?
Nobody but wild eyed left wingers give a fuk. Giuliana said what Trump instructed him to. The key point being missed is it was paid to Cohen out of Trump's personal funds, not campaign funds, which is what the "raid" was all about. Still no beef in this nothing burger.
Since Ms Daniels broke an agreement and is attempting to commit extortion, she needs to be prosecuted and sued
Keep on thinking that. It was an illegal contribution to the campaign since the money was used to pay for Stormy's silence. It benefited the campaign and if those funds weren't reported, that is the campaign finance violation.
Paula - Cohen was paid $35K A MONTH as a retainer by Trump to represent him in business/personal issues. The $130K was taken from the retainer funds - standard practice - and has/had nothing to do with "Obstruction/Collusion/RussiaGate) - personal funds for personal issues.
I wouldn't underestimate Giuliani, or Trump either, but they always do.
The hypocrisy of trump supporters is amazing. Had this been a Democrat, right wingers would have been screaming for impeachment from the very beginning of their term. Skirting the CoC [ph]
I think you are sweeping.
I'm not sure what you are trying to say. If you're a trump supporter, tell me that had it been a Democrat in office, you wouldn't be calling for impeachment.
I believe you are calling all right-wingers deplorable hypocrites correct? That is a "sweeping generalization" which is not allowed on this site.
Members should refrain from disciplining other members. If someone is violating the CoC, members should make no comment but rather use the flagging system to report it to the moderators. SP
I don't think so. There are plenty of 'right wingers" who do not support trump or who don't show hypocrisy on issues like this.
did you miss the word "all"?
I don't know about 'plenty', but there are some that surprised me. Not enough in congress though, they are total Trump patsies, lying and obfuscating for him to protect him and the party. They appear to be castrated by Trump.
As for the $130,000. Follow the money (and they are) to see where all the money came from. Russia? Ukraine? Trump's own pocketbook? Should be fun to watch them unravel this.
No, but did you miss the "Trump Supporters" and those that demonstrate hypocrisy?
No, I didn't.
Coming from a red state and the family I have, I know several people who are "right leaning". I won't call all of them Trump supporters or hypocrites but some sure are one or the other...and both.
Then why are you getting defensive? Are you a Trump supporter hypocrite?
why do you think my comments are defensive? exactly what words do you feel are defensive?
This one in particular. He wasn't calling all right wingers deplorable hypocrites, but it sounds like you took it as an insult to you.
Without a crime?