President Trump was "very pleased" with Rudy Giuliani's Wednesday night interview on Hannity, Giuliani told The Washington Post's Robert Costa, adding Trump had discussed with him and approved his revelation that Trump had repaid lawyer Michael Cohen for Cohen's $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump previously told reporters he knew nothing about the payment. It's a good thing Giuliani was able to get a comment from Trump, because Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley had nothing to say on Fox News after Sean Hannity's show ended.
"We had no idea of the topics of the show, obviously," Gidley told anchor Shannon Bream. Giuliani's comments involve ongoing litigation, "we have nothing to say about it, the president has outside counsel, and that's who I would have to refer you to. ... I'm not an attorney, I just work at the White House."
Giuliani, who is Trump's outside legal counsel, albeit for the Robert Mueller investigation not the Stormy Daniels litigation, dropped his news about Trump repaying Cohen as part of an argument that this repayment cleared Trump and Cohen of campaign finance violations. Larry Noble, general counsel for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, disagreed.
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.
"What is surprising is that Trump recently said he knew nothing about the payment. Now, Giuliani is trying to get the stories in sync, but this still leaves several potential violations," Noble told The Washington Post. "The timing of the payment is still strong evidence of it being campaign related. And the fact that Trump paid Cohen back strengthens that argument." Charles Harder, Trump's lawyer in the Daniels litigation, had no comment. Michael Avenatti, Daniels' lawyer, argued that "according to Mr. Giuliani, Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen were co-conspirators in a felony."
-
Political cartoons for December 14Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a new White House flag, Venezuela negotiations, and more
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
