US President Donald Trump has admitted for the first time, in a statement to the Government Ethics Service, that he paid more than $ 100.000 last year to his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, shedding new light on the scandal with porn star Stormy Daniels.
The statement of financial interests, signed by Trump and released today by the Office, does not describe the reason or recipient of the initial payment made by Cohen in 2016, for which the president reimbursed him. But the lawyer has admitted that he paid Daniels - whose real name is Stephanie Clifford - $ 130.000 shortly before the presidential election, not to mention the love affair she claims she had with Trump in 2006.
Rudy Giuliani, who recently took over as the president's new personal lawyer, has admitted that Trump paid Cohen $ 130.000.
The US president has made contradictory statements on the matter, whether he knew about Cohen's payment to Daniels and whether he himself compensated his lawyer. In April, he told reporters he knew nothing about the actress' payment.
Trump, his campaign staff and his lawyer deny any wrongdoing, including violating the law governing campaign finance.
Acting Director of the Service David Apoll, in a letter to Undersecretary of Justice Rod Rosenstein, stated that the initial payment to Cohen should have been included in Trump's June 2017 statement. Cohen asked to be reimbursed in 2017 for the amount he had paid in 2016 and Trump "reimbursed him in full." The amount received by the lawyer ranges between 100.001-250.000 dollars, without interest.