Trump’s $130K Denial

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LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 20: Adult film actress Stormy Daniels appears during an autograph signing for Wicked Pictures at the 2012 AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino January 20, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Not normally a man of few words, Donald Trump answered a reporter’s question about whether he knew about the hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels with a curt, “No.”

It is the president’s first public acknowledgement of the headline-grabbing scandal that continues to afflict him, according to CNN.  When asked why his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, made the $130,000 payment, President Trump replied, “You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen.  Michael is my attorney.  You’ll have to ask Michael.”

Stormy Daniels and her lawyer Michael Avenatti have not been media shy.  They have been a ratings hit and cable news fodder, especially Avenatti, who has sparred live on-air with Cohen’s counsel (Trump’s lawyer’s lawyer).  Until now, however, President Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet about the situation.  He has shown surprising restraint by not tweeting about Daniels since she filed suit earlier this year.

A reporter on Air Force One also asked if the president had set up a fund from which Cohen could withdraw money in order to make payments on Trump’s behalf.  The president did not answer that question.

On the other hand, Avenatti didn’t wait long to tweet out a message to the president and his lawyers: