Report: President Trump's lawyer brokered $130,000 payment to porn star

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's personal lawyer brokered a $130,000 payment to a porn star to prevent her from publicly discussing an alleged sexual encounter with President Trump, according to a report Friday in The Wall Street Journal.

President Trump met Stephanie Clifford, whose goes by the name Stormy Daniels in films, at a golf event in 2006 — a year after President Trump's marriage to his wife, Melania. According to the Journal's report, Clifford began talking with ABC News in the fall of 2016 for a story involving an alleged relationship with Trump, but reached a $130,000 deal a month before the election, which prevented her from going public.

President Trump's longtime attorney Michael Cohen arranged for the payment through Clifford's lawyer, Keith Davidson, the Journal reported.

In a statement to the Journal, Cohen did not address his role in negotiating the supposed payment but said President Trump denies any such relationship with Clifford. Clifford has previously denied an alleged relationship with President Trump.

On Friday afternoon, the White House issued a statement calling the Journal's story "old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election."

Cohen also accused the Journal of perpetuating "a false narrative for over a year."

Just days before the 2016 election, the Journal published a story stating that the National Enquirer — run by David Pecker, a fervid supporter of President Trump — had paid $150,000 to silence former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal about a sexual relationship she allegedly had with President Trump a decade ago.