Trump's financial disclosure form confirms he reimbursed Michael Cohen for Stormy Daniels hush money


President Trump "fully reimbursed" his attorney, Michael Cohen, for "2016 expenses," per his public financial disclosure released Wednesday.
In October 2016, Cohen paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as part of a hush agreement, to keep her from discussing an affair she says she had with Trump in 2006. The president, who denies the affair, previously denied knowing about the payment, but his attorney Rudy Giuliani revealed earlier this month that Trump had in fact repaid Cohen. Trump later sought to downplay the accuracy of Giuliani's explanation, saying the attorney still needed to "get his facts straight," but Trump himself tweeted an admission that he had reimbursed Cohen, arguing that the payment was not related to his presidential campaign.
The financial disclosure is the first official acknowledgement that Trump was involved with the payment to Daniels. It does not list the reason for the expense, but notes that the value of the reimbursement was between $100,001 and $250,000. Per the form, Trump reimbursed Cohen in 2017.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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