In a stunning turn of events, President Trump took to Twitter this morning and admitted that he had in fact authorized the $130,000 payment of hush money to his ex-mistress, porn star and director Stephanie “Stormy Daniels” Clifford.
That payment and the non-disclosure agreement which accompanied it – the one the President failed to sign when it was hammered out on the eve of the 2016 election – have become the subject of both a protracted legal battle and a media firestorm of titillation and intrigue that burns ever brighter with every new development.
Finally backed into a corner after all of his motions to dismiss and restraining orders and other efforts to bully Daniels into submission failed – or perhaps simply was forced to come clean after his new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, threw him under the bus on live television last night – the president took to Twitter this morning to offer up his excuses.
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
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Nobody would pay out hush money over false allegations, especially not an unrepentantly selfish man like Trump who refuses to pay out money to the people who actually work for him, so it’s obvious that he’s lying.
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But it’s clear at this point that the President could invite Penthouse Magazine to hold a shoot on the White House lawn and his evangelical supporters would still find some way to excuse it.
While the President may claim that money from his campaign played “no roll” in his hush money payment, his track record says otherwise. For decades, Trump used his charitable foundation as a personal piggybank, using it to purchase things for himself and to flagrantly evade having to pay taxes, so it’s almost certain that he’s using his campaign accounts to do the same thing.
It's getting lost that Giuliani said that Trump "threw in some profit" for Cohen, like tipping a caddy. Which he was, but it's extremely funny nevertheless.
— Charles, Star of Mic Dicta (@Ugarles) May 3, 2018
The president has found himself trapped in a legal bind of his own creation, his countless lies and contradictory statements – and it’s far too late for him to escape unscathed.
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