Trump falsely claims paying hush money out of his own pocket means he didn't break the law

Trump and Ainsley Earhardt.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/FOX & friends)

President Trump sat down with Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt on Wednesday to talk about the last 24 hours of news.

Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime fixer, pleaded guilty Tuesday to committing campaign finance violations, describing how he paid hush money to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal "at the direction" of then-candidate Trump. The two women claim to have had affairs with Trump. While Trump previously said he did not know about Cohen's payments to the women, the attorney last month released a 2016 recording of the two men discussing whether to pay by cash or check. Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani further revealed this spring that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the funds.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

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.