According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, a lawyer for President Donald Trump arranged a $130,000 payment to a former adult-film star a month before the 2016 election as part of an agreement that required the woman to remain silent about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Michael Cohen, who has been a top attorney at the Trump Organization for nearly a decade, arranged payment to the woman, Stephanie Clifford, in October 2016 after her lawyer negotiated the nondisclosure agreement with Mr. Cohen, sources familiar with the matter told WSJ. Clifford’s stage name is Stormy Daniels. She has privately alleged the encounter with Trump took place after they met at a July 2006 celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe. Trump married Melania Trump in 2005. During his campaign, Trump faced allegations of inappropriate behavior with women, all of which he denied. In this case, there is not an allegation of nonconsensual interactions. In a statement, Cohen did not address the $130,000 payment, but did say that “President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence as has Ms. Daniels.” According to the WSJ’s sources, the payment was made to Clifford through her lawyer in the matter, Keith Davidson, with funds sent to Davidson’s client-trust account at City National Bank in Los Angeles. Clifford has appeared in about 150 adult films and was considered among the industry’s biggest stars when she met Trump. She was 27-years-old. Another adult-film star, Jessica Drake, alleged that Trump kissed her and two other women without permission in a hotel suite after the same 2006 golf event.
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