Avenatti: Two More Women Claim They Were Paid Hush Money to Stay Quiet About Trump Affairs

By Brooks Seipel, The Hill

17 May 18

 

he lawyer for adult-film star Stormy Daniels said Thursday that two women have approached him with claims they were paid to stay silent about affairs with President Trump.

During an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," attorney Michael Avenatti said he is in talks with two women who allege they have agreements with either Trump or his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to stay quiet about an affair with the president.

Avenatti stressed, however, that he has not yet fully confirmed the allegations to be true and is working to substantiate their claims before revealing the identities of the women or the details of the alleged payments and affairs.

“They’re not fully vetted, but there are at least two I think are on solid ground,” Avenatti said. “I think that as the evidence rolls out over the coming months disclosures are going to be made that my client was not alone as relates to these payments.”

“It is a process of vetting. We want to be careful about what we state," he said. “They may create additional exposure. They may prove to be problematic.”

Asked if the payments were similar to the $130,000 amount paid to Daniels to stay quiet about her 2006 affair with Trump, Avenatti said "yes." He also suggested the other payments may be even larger than the amount paid to Daniels.

The new Avenatti claims come after Trump released a financial disclosure Tuesday acknowledging that he reimbursed Cohen more than $100,000 for expenses incurred during the 2016 presidential race.

Avenatti is fighting in court to allow Daniels to share details of her alleged affair with Trump.

Last week, he released financial information revealing that Cohen took half a million dollars from a company with ties to a Russian oligarch. Other companies also paid him for consulting services.

Trump's lawyer is now disputing some claims in the report and alleges that Avenatti obtained the bank records unlawfully.