A former star of pornographic movies received a $130,000 payment a month before the 2016 election that was part of an agreement to keep her from publicly discussing a sexual encounter she claimed to have had with Donald J. Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday afternoon.
The Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Michael D. Cohen, who was a top lawyer at the Trump Organization, arranged the payment to the woman, Stephanie Clifford, after her lawyer negotiated a nondisclosure agreement.
Ms. Clifford, who was billed as Stormy Daniels in her videos, said the encounter with Mr. Trump took place in July 2006 after a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, The Journal reported. Mr. Trump married Melania Trump in 2005.
In a statement to The Journal, Mr. Cohen said of the alleged sexual encounter that “President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence as has Ms. Daniels.”
Advertisement
Continue reading the main story
He added, “You have attempted to perpetuate this false narrative for over a year; a narrative that has been consistently denied by all parties since at least 2011.”
Credit
Chad Buchanan/Getty Images
The payment was made to Ms. Clifford through her lawyer, Keith Davidson, with funds sent to Mr. Davidson’s client-trust account at City National Bank in Los Angeles, The Journal reported.
Continue reading the main story