Former President Donald Trump wanted to hold off on paying Stormy Daniels until after the 2016 election, Michael Cohen testified Monday, believing he might not have to buy her silence at all after people were done voting. But after Cohen received a heads up that Daniels was preparing to sell her story to a British tabloid, Trump, having consulted with friends and allies, ordered his former fixer to make the deal.
"He stated to me that he had spoken to some friends, some individuals, smart people, and that it's $130,000. You’re a billionaire, just pay it," Cohen testified, according to CNN. The Republican candidate had concluded "there's no reason to keep this thing out there, so do it," Cohen said. "He expressed to me, 'Just do it. Meet up with Allen Weisselberg and figure this whole thing out.'"
Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer, spoke with Cohen before the payment to Daniels was made, according to call logs presented in court Monday. "There was significant urgency" to get the deal done, Cohen said, with Daniels threatening to compound Trump's issues with women voters.
Cohen ultimately paid Daniels and her attorney $130,000 from a home equity line of credit he had taken out. He was later reimbursed to the tune of $420,000, an amount that was intended to cover the taxes Cohen would have to pay by claiming the money was payment for legal expenses. Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up the Daniels payment, which prosecutors say should have been publicly disclosed as a contribution to his 2016 campaign.
