President Donald Trump “didn’t know the details” about his personal lawyer’s $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels until “a couple of weeks ago,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani clarified Thursday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
Giuliani, now a member of the president’s personal legal team, delivered a bombshell interview Wednesday on Fox News’ “Hannity” on a variety of topics, such as the Trump team’s response to special counsel Robert Mueller’s request for an interview as well as the Daniels payment.
Michael Cohen, one of Trump’s personal lawyers, issued the payment to Daniels prior to Election Day 2016. The FBI raided Cohen’s home and offices seeking documents on the Daniels payment, among other issues. Trump told reporters in early April that he knew nothing of the payment to Daniels.
But Giuliani caused an uproar Wednesday when he told host Sean Hannity that Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels.
“[Trump] didn’t know the details until we knew the details of it, which was a couple of weeks ago. Maybe not even a couple of weeks, 10 days ago,” Giuliani clarified Thursday on “Fox & Friends.”
Trump himself addressed the controversy in a series of tweets Thursday morning and referred to Daniels by her legal name, Stephanie Clifford.
“Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are … very common among celebrities and people of wealth,” Trump wrote.
“In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair … despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair,” Trump added. “Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction.”
Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
…very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
…despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018
Giuliani addressed Trump’s tweets, saying, “I don’t think there is any contradiction of that.”
“That’s what I said last night. People were indeed surprised, which is why I think this is a tweet that’s very valuable. Because the president indicates he understood it,” Giuliani said.
“Remember when this came up, October 2016. I was with [Trump] day in and day out then. I can’t remember the details of what happened,” Giuliani added. “I don’t want to, you know, demean anyone, but $130,000 sounds like a lot of money. It’s not when you are putting a hundred million in your campaign. It isn’t pocket change, but it’s pretty close to it.”
Related: Rudy Mauls Mueller, Crimes ‘All Committed by the Government’
Giuliani clarified his comments even further Thursday on Fox Business Network, noting that Cohen did not discuss the Daniels payment with Trump and that Trump reimbursed Cohen after the election on November 8.
“The money was paid by Michael Cohen in October of 2016. Of course he didn’t talk to the presidential candidate then because the man wouldn’t have even remembered. I wouldn’t remember if you talked to me then,” Giuliani said, noting that “the president reimbursed him out of noncampaign, noncampaign contribution money, private money, his money, and he did it over a course of 2017.”
“It was mixed in with a couple of other things that have nothing to do with them or anybody else, just things that a lawyer would take care of for his client,” Giuliani explained.
But liberal pundits and media members pounced on Giuliani’s Thursday night bombshell, claiming he contradicted Trump and revealed Trump to be a liar, despite Giuliani’s clarifications. And Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, triumphantly told “CNN Tonight” that the president could face “potential criminal liability” for his reimbursement of the Daniels payment.
“I said it weeks ago, I’m going to say it again: Mr. Trump will not serve out his term,” Avenatti claimed. “No way. No how. He will be forced to ultimately resign. This is a bombshell.”
Giuliani, however, maintained Wednesday that Trump’s reimbursement was a “perfectly legal” one that wasn’t made with campaign funds and didn’t violate any laws.
“Sorry, I’m giving you a fact now that you don’t know. It’s not campaign money. No campaign finance violation,” Giuliani said, noting that it was “funneled through a law firm, and then the president repaid it.”
PoliZette writer Kathryn Blackhurst can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.