What’s happening in the political world:
Trump hints at possible legal action against porn star
-- President Trump launched a flurry of tweets Thursday morning that seem to indicate he may be seeking legal action against adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s response comes several hours after Rudy Giuliani, a member of Trump’s legal team, said in an interview that the president reimbursed attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 in "hush money" that was given to Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement.
Giuliani told Fox News that the payment was “perfectly legal” and that the money was “not campaign money." The former New York City mayor added that it was “no campaign finance violation” because it had been made through a law firm and Trump repaid Cohen.
Trump offered statements on Twitter Thursday:
“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.....”
“...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,......”
“...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.”
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
Trump previously denied knowledge of the payment, which has since spurred a lawsuit against Trump.
Cohen admitted to paying Daniels out of his own pocket through a private LLC. However, Trump never signed the non-disclosure agreement, so Daniels is claiming in her suit that the agreement is now void.
There have been questions surrounding the legality of the payment considering various campaign finance laws.
Giuliani gives new take on Comey firing
-- Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said President Trump fired James Comey as FBI director because he would not tell Trump if he was or was not a focus in the special counsel’s Russia probe.
In an interview with Fox News, Giuliani told host Sean Hannity that Comey was fired because he “would not, among other things, say that he wasn’t a target of the Russia investigation. He’s entitled to that. Hillary Clinton got that. And he couldn’t get that.”
Last year, Trump fired Comey, initially saying he axed the FBI head over his handling of the Clinton email probe. He later said in an interview with NBC that Comey’s firing may have been related to the Russia investigation.
Trump accuser seeks "Apprentice" recordings as evidence for defamation case
-- The lawyer for one of the women suing President Trump for defamation is seeking recordings of "The Apprentice" from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos filed a lawsuit against Trump in January 2017, in which she alleged that Trump defamed her in 2016 after she said he sexually assaulted her in 2007.
Her lawyer, Mariann Wang, is also seeking hotel records from the Beverly Hills Hotel.
"We are gathering evidence that will prove that (the) defendant lied when he falsely denigrated Ms. Zervos and denied sexually assaulting her," Wang said.
MGM owns the archives of "The Apprentice" and Wang wants the company to hand over all documents, video or audio that feature Zervos or Trump talking about Zervos and any recording in which Trump speaks of women in a sexual or inappropriate manner.
CNN contributed to this report
