The Manhattan district attorney's office has subpoenaed the Trump Organization, requesting documents related to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, several people briefed on the matter told The New York Times Thursday.
Daniels said she had an affair with Trump in 2006, and shortly before the 2016 presidential election, his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence. The Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen, and the Times reports prosecutors are looking into whether any senior executives filed false business records, claiming the reimbursement was a legal expense. Trump Organization attorney Marc Mukasey told the Times this is a "political hit job."
Cohen, who pleaded guilty last year to campaign finance violations in connection with the hush money case and is now serving time in prison, also worked with the National Enquirer to arrange a payout for another woman who said she had an affair with Trump. Playboy model Karen McDougal was paid $150,000 for her story, which was never published. The Manhattan D.A.'s office also sent American Media Inc., the Enquirer's publisher, a subpoena on Thursday, the Times reports. The company's CEO, David Pecker, is one of Trump's longtime friends.
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