An adult-film star was paid $130,000 by a lawyer for Donald Trump in the weeks before the 2016 election to not talk publicly about a sexual relationship with the then-Republican candidate, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The lawyer, Michael Cohen, allegedly paid Stephanie Clifford to remain silent about an encounter at Lake Tahoe, California, in 2006, a year after he married his third wife, Melania, according to the Journal. The Journal said the payment was made to a client-trust account at City National Bank in Los Angeles.
The Washington Post was not able to independently confirm the payment and was not able to reach the bank.
"These rumors have circulated time and again since 2011. President Trump once again vehemently denies any such occurrence, as has Ms. Daniels," Cohen said to The Post. Cohen also issued a statement that he said was from Clifford, whose professional name is Stormy Daniels.
"Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false," reads the statement, signed by Stormy Daniels. "If indeed I did have a relationship with Donald Trump, trust me, you wouldn't be reading about it in the news, you would be reading about it in my book."