President Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen told his side of the Stormy Daniels story in a Vanity Fair interview published Monday, describing the negotiations that led to the now-infamous $130,000 payment to the adult film actress.
Cohen told Vanity Fair that until 2011, he didn't know that Trump had ever met Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. But when a website published an interview about the alleged affair between Trump and the porn star, Cohen says, Daniels' former attorney, Keith Davidson, called him to work on getting the story removed.
When Trump's presidential campaign placed new scrutiny on rumors of the alleged affair in 2016, Cohen called Davidson to get ahead of newfound media interest. Cohen asked Davidson how much it would cost to "own the story" and keep Daniels from talking to media outlets that were sniffing around the scandal. Davidson told Cohen that Daniels wanted $130,000, a number that Cohen says he found strange in its apparent randomness.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cohen says that when he asked Davidson why Daniels would talk to media outlets in 2016, when she had denied reports of the affair half a decade ago, the answer was that "she needed the money." Davidson declined to comment to Vanity Fair on the matter.
Trump has consistently denied that he was ever sexually involved with Daniels. Read Cohen's entire interview — in which he also discusses an impromptu meeting he had with Daniels' current lawyer, Michael Avenatti — at Vanity Fair.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protectionsSpeed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central USSpeed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslidesSpeed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
