Giuliani says Trump repaid $130,000 his lawyer spent to quiet porn star

[webfact]

Giuliani says Trump repaid $130,000 his lawyer spent to quiet porn star

 

FILE PHOTO: A combination photo shows Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels speaking in New York City, and U.S. President Donald Trump speaking in Washington, Michigan, U.S. on April 16, 2018 and April 28, 2018 respectively. . REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid (L) REUTERS/Joshua Roberts (R)/File Photos

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who joined President Donald Trump's legal team last month, said on Wednesday that Trump repaid the $130,000 his lawyer gave to an adult-film star to buy her silence about an alleged affair with the president.

 

Trump has said he did not know about the payment to Stormy Daniels, who says she had a one-night stand with Trump in 2006.

 

Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, the money in 2016 to keep quiet about the alleged sexual encounter before the presidential election.

 

In an interview on Fox News, Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and longtime friend of Trump, said the president knew about the $130,000 payment and reimbursed Cohen.

 

"They funnelled it through a law firm and the president repaid it," Giuliani said.

 

"He didn't know about the specifics of it, as far as I know, but he did know about the general arrangement that Michael would take care of things like this," Giuliani said.

 

He said the payment did not violate campaign finance laws because it was not drawn from Trump campaign funds.

 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

When asked by reporters on April 5 if he knew about the payment to Daniels, Trump responded, "No." Asked why Cohen made the payment, Trump said: "You'll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. You'll have to ask Michael."

 

Cohen has said he paid Daniels out of his own pocket and was not reimbursed by Trump.

 

The White House has denied Trump had sex with Daniels.

 

Daniels has sued Trump and Cohen to be released from the non-disclosure agreement, saying it was invalid because Trump never signed it. She has also sued Trump for defamation.

 

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-03

[phycokiller]

looks like Cohen is down $130000 on that one. wont need it in jail anyway I suppose

[Bluespunk]

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who joined President Donald Trump's legal team last month, said on Wednesday that Trump repaid the $130,000 his lawyer gave to an adult-film star to buy her silence about an alleged affair with the president.

That will soon read “who recently left Trumps legal team”.

Edited May 3, 2018 by Bluespunk

[mikebike]

Wonder who is crafting the paper-trail. 45 better have accountants better than his lawyers!!

[puck2]

 

Quote

Trump has said he did not know about the payment to Stormy Daniels, who says she had a one-night stand with Trump in 2006.

Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, the money in 2016 to keep quiet about the alleged sexual encounter before the presidential election.

In an interview on Fox News, Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and longtime friend of Trump, said the president knew about the $130,000 payment and reimbursed Cohen.

"They funnelled it through a law firm and the president repaid it," Giuliani said.

 

In many of my comments I gave Trump the title of LOTUS (Liar of the United States). Already during the election campaign this was obvious and clearly recognizable.

 

What we read here in this article confirms what has happened again and again. Only people with a limited brain and no moral refuse to recognize that the US is governed by such a vile type. It's aching too, that there is a reprobate party supporting such a moron.

 

You don't trust someone who lies. The same happens now to the USA. They are losing their credibility and reliability day by day. What you hear from Trump today will be invalid tomorrow.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by puck2

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Wow... the lies are coming fast and furious now...

 

I'm guessing that Guiliani is telling the truth on this one. Meaning, the Liar in Chief has been caught again...and this one a whopper.

 

Quote

 

In an interview on Fox News, Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor and longtime friend of Trump, said the president knew about the $130,000 payment and reimbursed Cohen.

 

"They funnelled it through a law firm and the president repaid it," Giuliani said.

 

"He didn't know about the specifics of it, as far as I know, but he did know about the general arrangement that Michael would take care of things like this," Giuliani said.

 

........................................

 

When asked by reporters on April 5 if he knew about the payment to Daniels, Trump responded, "No." Asked why Cohen made the payment, Trump said: "You'll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. You'll have to ask Michael."

 

 

[Expatthailover]

Rudy's social life must really be on its uppers if he counts despicable don as a friend

[Andaman Al]

You really can't make this stuff up.

 

As soon as they announced Giuliano was going team Trump I wondered how long until he dropped a clanger. It turns out not long. Just as Giuliano screwed Trump when he went on TV saying that Trump "asked him to find a way of making a muslim ban legal', he has now screwed Trump even more. Who needs SNL and Comedy Central when you have the White House.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

 Who needs SNL and Comedy Central when you have the White House.

 

Except it's not comedy or funny.

 

It's pathetic and sad and damaging that a corrupt, unethical, morally bankrupt liar is the President of the United States.  And even moreso, that the stupid electorate of the U.S. put him there.

 

[Basil B]

3 hours ago, mikebike said:

Wonder who is crafting the paper-trail. 45 better have accountants better than his lawyers!!

That probably why they raided his lawyers offices to start tracing back the paper trail...

 

I would say that he would have issued an invoice to account for such a sum, also had DT just handed over $130K in cash that probably would fall foul of the USA's money laundering laws.

 

that rope he he is going to hang himself on is just getting longer and longer...

[selftaopath]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Wow... the lies are coming fast and furious now...

 

I'm guessing that Guiliani is telling the truth on this one. Meaning, the Liar in Chief has been caught again...and this one a whopper.

 

 

I'd like to see a billboard ... like a count down... thing with all Swamp King's lies and numbered. Maybe MSNBC could initiate this or maybe a few billboards across America. Apparently his "good ol' boys" either don't know or don't care. 

 

I hate liars. Lies and liars are the enemy of the people and democracy.  When oh when will the world be rid of this despicable creature? 

[freebyrd]

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

That will soon read “who recently left Trumps legal team”.

Indeed, quite a fall from a leader during 9/11 to making excuses for Trump the buffoon.

[honu]

I don't see it as nearly as much a problem that Trump is a despicable, morally bankrupt, generally inept human being as that he's actually the leader of the US government now. 

 

He's making one bad decision after another, screwing over the poorer 99.9% of the population to benefit himself and his supporters, while flushing what's left of the future potential of the US down the toilet in the process.

 

It's almost as sad that one third of the population still supports him, a huge proportion of people to be that painfully stupid.  He destroys their future too, one public policy and presidential order at a time, and those morons laugh at how upset it all makes the "libtards."  In one sense the US just gets the leadership it deserves. 

[AmericanSafety]

Funny thing is he lied. OK. It wasn't under oath and as long as the funds didn't come from the RNC funds, no crime was committed. Much a do about nothing.

[FritsSikkink]

10 minutes ago, AmericanSafety said:

Funny thing is he lied. OK. It wasn't under oath and as long as the funds didn't come from the RNC funds, no crime was committed. Much a do about nothing.

Not really, there are some legal issues to deal with:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/giuliani-comments-on-stormy-payment-raise-legal-questions/ar-AAwFA73?ocid=spartanntp

[sfokevin]

[Chomper Higgot]

Giuliano was a very competent prosecutor, when he exposes Trump’s lies this way he knows exactly what he’s doing.

 

Methinks he’s been sent to the WH to finish Trump off before the midterms.

 

cui bono?!

[55Jay]

The Mueller interview questions drafted by Trump's legal team were leaked, which Trump said he was disappointed about.  I thought it was an intentional leak, so Trump could take the opportunity to Tweet - "no questions about collusion", which is precisely what he did.

 

But this is amusing.  Rudy's on Trump's legal team?  And slams him like this?  As TallGuyJohnBKK said ^, won't be long till Rudy is an ex-Trump Team member.  If those Mueller questions were really leaked, I'd put $10 on it was Rudy, lighting fires and throwing hand grenades on his way out the door. 

[Jim1000]

I always get the impression Rudi is slightly unhinged  - they should make a good team !

[starky]

Ok so he didn't sleep with her then he did. Money never got paid then it did. Didn't know about the payment then he does. Didn't come from campaign funds then it did but got paid back so it's all ok. At yet people still want to support this nasty, lying sack of shit.

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Giuliano was a very competent prosecutor, when he exposes Trump’s lies this way he knows exactly what he’s doing.

Giuliano's disclosure was intentional.

With the evidence held by Cohen and eventually to be released to the FBI, Giuliano's statement might have reflected the reality that the FBI will discover Trump's payment and he is attempting to get ahead of the game to make it public that forestalls Trump from continuing to lie about it and increase his vulnerability to criminal violations.

Giuliani told Washington Post's Robert Costa that he and the president had discussed the revelation about the reimbursement of Cohen "long in advance." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-repaid-michael-cohen-130k-stormy-daniels-rudy-giuliani-fox-news-hannity-2018-05-02/

Which translated probably meant - after FBI seizure of Cohen's documents and files.

[IAMHERE]

It is nice to see POTUS pays his bills.

[midas]

8 hours ago, puck2 said:

 

 

In many of my comments I gave Trump the title of LOTUS (Liar of the United States). Already during the election campaign this was obvious and clearly recognizable.

 

What we read here in this article confirms what has happened again and again. Only people with a limited brain and no moral refuse to recognize that the US is governed by such a vile type. It's aching too, that there is a reprobate party supporting such a moron.

 

You don't trust someone who lies. The same happens now to the USA. They are losing their credibility and reliability day by day. What you hear from Trump today will be invalid tomorrow.

 

 

" They are losing their credibility and reliability day by day."

 

And this guy has the capability of starting nuclear Armageddon

[dunroaming]

I am a bit gobsmacked about this latest twist.  I really don't know what to make of it.  Giuliani must have known what he was saying but why? 

[stevenl]

1 minute ago, dunroaming said:

I am a bit gobsmacked about this latest twist.  I really don't know what to make of it.  Giuliani must have known what he was saying but why? 

I agree with a previous poster, that they realised Muller already had the information from Cohen's files. Better to be pro-active.

[Opl]

29 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

It is nice to see POTUS pays his bills.

POTUS or TRUMP? 

and.....  what happens if Trump finally does not campaign for 2020? 

" Trump, who took the unusual step of registering his reelection committee on the first day of his presidency, finished the year with $22.1 million banked for his 2020 campaign. The filing also shows the president's campaign spent nearly $2.8 million during the final three months of 2017, and 40% of that money — or $1.13 million — paid legal bills." 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/31/president-trump-raises-big-sums-2020-racks-up-legal-bills/1083984001/

 

[attrayant]

4 hours ago, AmericanSafety said:

Funny thing is he lied. OK. It wasn't under oath and as long as the funds didn't come from the RNC funds, no crime was committed. Much a do about nothing.

 

Lying under oath is a legal technicality.  The average citizen - who is not ethically challenged - should not have to invoke a 'get out of jail free' clause to clear their conscience.  Lying is lying.  Just because you're not under oath doesn't magically make it permissible to lie.  If he lies about such trivialities, how can he be trusted to EVER tell the truth?

[attrayant]

4 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Not really, there are some legal issues to deal with:

 

There may also be money laundering concerns since they are saying the pay-back was "structured" as part of Cohen's monthly retainer.  It's surprising they would even use that word, since structuring is itself a form of money laundering- trying to move money around in small amounts so as to avoid detection.

[Chomper Higgot]

15 minutes ago, attrayant said:

 

There may also be money laundering concerns since they are saying the pay-back was "structured" as part of Cohen's monthly retainer.  It's surprising they would even use that word, since structuring is itself a form of money laundering- trying to move money around in small amounts so as to avoid detection.

A bigger problem is employing a co-conspirator in one crime as a lawyer to defend you from your co-conspiring lawyer in other crimes.

[Opl]

"“Imagine if that came out on October 15th, 2016, in the middle of the, you know, last debate with Hillary Clinton,” Giuliani said. “Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He did his job. A payment intended to protect his campaign from political damage could be a violation of campaign finance lawuch sums should have been reported to the Federal Election Commission.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/03/white-house-trump-giuliani-damage-control-566048