Rudy Giuliani says Trump repaid Stormy Daniels hush money

During an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, Rudy Giuliani said President Trump reimbursed his lawyer, Michael Cohen, the $130,000 he paid adult film star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an affair she said she had with Trump in 2006.
Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and one of the newest members of Trump's legal team, told the Fox News host that the money was "funneled" through a law firm, and Trump "knew the general arrangement" but not the "specifics." The money was "paid by his lawyer the way I would do it," he continued, "out of his law firm funds or whatever funds, it doesn't matter, and the president reimbursed that over a period of several months."
Hannity said he "distinctly" remembered Cohen saying "he did it on his own," to which Giuliani responded, "He did?" Quickly, Giuliani added, "Look, I don't know, I haven't investigated that, there's no reason to dispute his recollection." Trump has said he knew nothing about Cohen's payment to Daniels. Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, told MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell he was rendered "speechless" by Giuliani's admission.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How will the new tax deductions on auto loans work?
the explainer Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduced a tax deduction on auto loan interest — but eligibility for the tax break is limited
-
Is Trump actually going to prosecute Obama for 'treason'?
Today's Big Question Or is this just a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal?
-
5 best movie sequels of all time
The Week Recommends The second time is only sometimes as good as the first
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands
-
'Bawdy' Trump letter supercharges Epstein scandal
Speed Read The Wall Street Journal published details of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein