Trump has finally broken his silence on Stormy Daniels, telling reporters that he had no idea that Cohen paid her 130k and doesn’t know where the money came from:
JUST IN: President Trump says he did not know about $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, and tells reporters they would have to ask his attorney, Michael Cohen, why the payment was made, and adds that he does not know where Cohen obtained the money for the payment.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 5, 2018
Trump says he did not know about a $130,000 hush payment made to Stormy Daniels, his first public acknowledgment of the scandal https://t.co/VXHyZz2b6J pic.twitter.com/4AyFewttTf
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 5, 2018
President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not know about a $130,000 payment made to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence, his first public acknowledgment of the scandal surrounding an alleged sexual affair that has plagued him for months.
“No,” a terse Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when questioned about his knowledge of the payment, which was made by his private attorney Michael Cohen in the month before the 2016 election.
The one word response broke a months-long public silence from Trump on the matter, though he’s fumed about the issue in private and adamantly denied to his associates Daniels’ claim he had an affair with her in 2006.
An agitated Trump tried to move quickly on — “What else?” he asked after responding — but reporters in the press cabin continued their questioning, asking why Cohen made the payment.
“You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen,” Trump said. “Michael is my attorney. You’ll have to ask Michael.”
He said he didn’t know where the money came from, and denied he set up a fund for Cohen to draw from in making the payment.
The back-and-forth lasted only 25 seconds. But Trump’s remarks amount to his most robust response yet to a story that has continued to pose legal and ethical questions for the White House. Trump’s advisers encouraged him to avoid inflaming the issue by addressing it publicly, even as the President was itching to defend himself.
I’m not sure at this point anyone will believe him, especially since most everyone believes he had the affair. And the fact that it happened right before the election…yeah no.