Former RNC official is no longer making hush payments to Playboy model

Former Republican National Committee official Elliott Broidy is no longer making hush payments to a Playboy model he had an affair with, his lawyer told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Broidy, a married businessman, former deputy finance chairman of the RNC, and top GOP fundraiser, admitted that he had an affair with Shera Bechard. Last year, President Trump's longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, negotiated an agreement with Bechard, guaranteeing $1.6 million from Broidy in exchange for Bechard's silence regarding their relationship. The $1.6 million was to be paid in eight installments, with the third payment due Sunday.

Broidy's lawyer, Chris Clark, told the Journal he didn't make the payment because Keith Davidson, Bechard's lawyer at the time she signed the agreement, allegedly improperly discussed the matter with another lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who is representing Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who signed a $130,000 agreement brokered by Cohen in exchange for her keeping quiet about an affair she said she had with Trump in 2006.

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"Elliott specifically was paying for confidentiality that would shield his family from the embarrassing mistake he made," Clark said. "We can prove there was an intentional breach that renders the contract null and void." Davidson's spokesman said he did nothing wrong, and Avenatti is encouraging Bechard "to disclose everything she knows about this situation to the public." In April, FBI agents raided Cohen's office, home, and hotel room, and people familiar with the matter said he's being investigated over whether these agreements violated campaign finance or other laws. For more on Broidy and Bechard's relationship, and the tangled web that connects all these attorneys, visit The Wall Street Journal.