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DONALD TRUMP HAS formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show.
The disclosure caps a series of contradictory statements from Trump and his representatives on the scandal swirling around lawyer Michael Cohen – which has widened to ensnare major corporations and a Russian oligarch.
The documents released by a US government ethics body do not specify the reason for the payments to Cohen, who paid $130,000 (€110,000) to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 while he was married. The president denies the affair, and initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public with the allegations.
Trump’s claim began to unravel early this month, however, after Rudy Giuliani, a new member of the president’s legal team, said Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the sum paid to Daniels – and the president himself subsequently acknowledged the repayment.
A footnote to disclosures submitted Tuesday to the Office of Government Ethics said Cohen had incurred “expenses” on Trump’s behalf in 2016 of between $100,001 and $250,000 (€85,000 – €212,000).
“Mr Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr Trump fully reimbursed Mr Cohen in 2017,” it said.
Trump’s filing states that the president was not required to disclose Cohen’s expenses, but was doing so in the interest of transparency.
But an accompanying letter to the Justice Department from David Apol, the acting head of the Office of Government Ethics, said the payments by Cohen were indeed required to be reported, as also argued by an outside government ethics group which had lodged official complaints in March.
Apol told Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he was providing both Trump’s 2017 and 2018 disclosures, as potentially “relevant to any inquiry” the Justice Department may be pursuing into the president’s filings from last year.
Cashing in on access to Trump
Stormy Daniels is suing to be released from the hush agreement reached with Cohen, claiming it is invalid because Trump never signed it.
The president’s lawyer, meanwhile, finds himself under investigation by federal prosecutors who seized reams of evidence in raids on his home and office last month but have not revealed what crimes he may have committed.
The Washington Post reported that Cohen is under investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations.
Giuliani, said Wednesday that the Cohen case is of no concern.
“Not a lick. We’re completely uninvolved in that. We’ve gotten assurances that we’re not involved in it,” Giuliani told The Ingraham Angle on Fox News.
Cohen also stands accused of seeking to cash in on his proximity to the president, after it emerged he received millions of dollars from a Russian oligarch and major corporations seeking access to the administration.
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis Wednesday announced the retirement of its top legal expert over the $1.2 million in payments to Cohen, while AT&T has said it made a “big mistake” by paying the lawyer some $600,000 (€500,000).
The scandal engulfing Cohen has opened a new front in the legal challenges dogging Trump, grabbing headlines from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ominous investigation into possible collusion between the president’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
The disclosure of Trump’s payments to his lawyer came the same day a Senate intelligence panel released thousands of pages of testimony from its probe into a meeting between the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and a Russian lawyer who offered to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton.
In his testimony released Wednesday, Trump Jr said he did not tell his father ahead of time about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, also attended by the Republican candidate’s campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The newly-released financial documents also offered a glimpse of the performance of two of Trump’s flagship hotels: the Trump International Hotel in Washington – which has attracted crowds of lobbyists, lawmakers and foreign governments with business before the federal government, and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, dubbed the ‘Winter White House’.
Trump’s hotel in the US capital, which opened in late 2016, took in $40.4 million (€34m) during 2017 while the Florida resort had revenues of $25.1 million last year (€21m).
A prior disclosure made last year covered a 16-month period and showed $37.3 (€31m) million in revenues for Mar-a-Lago.
The report also showed Trump earned between $230,000 and $1.1 million (€195,000 – €930,000) in capital gains income on stock in iPhone maker Apple, Caterpillar, Microsoft and Pepsico.
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I’d love a bar a work paid for by the taxpayer. Only fair, I believe I’m worth it.
@Niallers: all my pints are paid for by the taxpayer. Me being that taxpayer
@Niallers: sure why not jobs and pensions for the rest of their the lives they dont give too damns about the ramifications
And rightly so.
@Dave O’Keeffe: Possibly but the Kerry Vinters association should have no say in politics and should be ignored
@Dave O’Keeffe: of course it should be gone, but what is the motivation of bar owners, particularly ones from Kerry, in lobbying politicians? how did he get access to someone to take a vote, when drink driving and health groups haven’t been able to.
@Gulliver Foyle: I suggest you read the article again. It was a vintners vote
@samstheman: you really think the people that watch our politicians drunk are on minimum wage?
@Dow Dubrov: All citizen’s are entitled to express opinions ,on Dáil Éireann.
@samstheman: if they are good barman they will be snapped up by by the trade.
@samstheman: silly me for thinking otherwise. Maybe the politicians will pay them to do offy runs instead? But seriously, job losses are bad obviously but it’s a job that should never have existed in the first place.
@samstheman: If true (Dail bar staff on mimimum wage) then how lacking in ethics is the running of the Oireactas. Subsidised prices and underpaid staff. Can anyone else confirm this, because if anyone can then I want to say anyone using Dail bar should be held in contempt.
@samstheman: you may “know for a fact”, but you’re wrong.
@Dow Dubrov: Closing the Dáil Bar is not a political action, it is a small step toward making legislative decisions rational. While intoxication of speakers was not obvious during the debate on the killing of babies, those voting must have been sedated in some fashion to allow them to harden their hearts as they did.
@Aodh . S. Ó’Ruairc: GTFO you lost, get over it.
@samstheman: They’d probably still use the space to serve food and non alcoholic drinks. In fact, maybe more TDs and staff might be willing to be seen there having a cup of coffee or tea & scone if the place was alcohol free.
@samstheman: I know for a fact they are not on minimum wage. It’s like a state job and very well paid. A bar job in there is highly sought after. Trust me. Job for life and pension.
@Dow Dubrov: while your opinion should be considered of course.
no wonder we are so far behind the rest of the world on cannabis legislation. self interested TD s .getting free drink .
@mick scanlan: subsidised, not free.
Kerry publicans don’t care whether there’s a bar in The Dail or not,it’s pure spite because of the new drink drive laws. Personally I don’t care if it’s closed but it shouldn’t be subsidised. Charge prices that make it self sustaining and do away with tabs,people pay for their orders as they get them like in every other pub.
@Tom Thumb: its not spite to point out hypocrisy.
@Tom Thumb: it’s not subsidised
Prices are only a few cent less than the nearby pubs and that’s city center prices. Also I’m pretty sure tabs were already done away with even though it was only a couple who didn’t pay. The last time they asked for the amount owed on tabs it was about 7 euro per TD.
@Seamus Mac: Who said it was spite to point out hypocrisy? If you think Kerry publicans suddenly decided they now have a big problem with there being a bar in the Dail out of concern for the nation,then sound.But the most obvious answer is very often the correct one and their Road to Damascus coinciding with new laws they were staunchly against,says to me it’s spite.
@Tom Thumb: if certain politicians are so concerned with alcohol they should start by doing something that effects them directly, for instance closing the Dail bars. That would be proper leadership.
@Tom Thumb: so you are fine with these numptys making decisions that impact the country and its citizens while under the influence. Can’t run a car after a pint, but run the country??no problem. Get a grip.
It would make more sense to close every pub in Kerry until the natives sobered up and stopped voting for the healy-raes.
@garrett: who are your TD’s?
Pint over the limit unable to drive but Pas laws that affects us all
Will lord Ross back this
Taxis home on travel allowance
As did deputy Mr Gerard Adams TD !!!!!!!
With the party whip system it’s clear that TD’s only need to be sober enough to vote along party lines and I’m assuming most party TD’s have little to do during Dail legislation vote sessions beyond turning up. It is a disgrace though to have subsidised facilities in the Dail. Mary O ‘Rourke is qouted as confirming taxpayer was footing bill for drinks at Garglegate FF party meeting (when Cowen gave radio interview next morning). How that is possible I don’t know, but if true then its even more disgraceful
Close the bar. There are plenty of watering holes in the vicinity of Kildare Street or Merrion Square depending on which gate they want to sneak out through.
No real option on this but the last time I checked they had to buy their drinks ! There was a problem with TD,s not settling their bills
It’s just ridiculous in this day and age if they want to have a drink good luck but not in their place of work
Also they can’t be stopped drink driving to and from the Dail not matter if over the limit . Especially if you are an asthmatic.
@Padraic O Sullivan: Source please?
What’s good for the goose is good enough for the gander!
It’s a great comment on the state of the country. It never dawned on me before now.and the rest of us are alcoholics according to our European friends.
All pubs should be basing prices in line with the Dail. All people should get pensions in line with the Dail. Expenses too. Members of Dail Eireann are supposed to represent the people, and this is how they live.
While this is welcome, i think its the kerry vintners association seeking revenge on the introduction of the tighter limits on drink driving law, which is hurting their business as many of their rural customers would drive to the pub to have 1 or 2 pints.
@Adrian: probably. Then the question becomes whether doing the right thing for the wrong reason is still doing the right thing or not
Begrudgers !! Like or hate them ,, they work hard let them have a pint
@therealcc: if you had a pint in your work place you’d be sacked..
@therealcc: work hard ? Are you one of them leeching b…ards
@therealcc: are you for real ?
@therealcc: no you wouldn’t. A lot of modern work places have beer taps on site, cans on the fridge etc.
@Yorkie1892: no you wouldn’t, there is hundreds of bar men working in bars and have a pint after work
@Patrick O Connell: yes but they have a drink after work, not during their work. That’s the difference.
@Patrick O Connell: Err…THAT`s after work pal, Not during their shift, my god, are you actually that stupid that you basically make a fool of your own comment while actually commenting?
@therealcc: Fair enough but not while at work .
@therealcc: …. “work & hard” in the same sentence to describe an Irish politician.
These workshy parasites are 100 % unemployable in any other sphere of industry.
I wouldn’t hire one to sweep my driveway.
And if I got a smell of alcohol off an employee he/she would be sent home and if it happened again they would be dismissed.
@therealcc: the world has gone mad ! I don’t think they are getting scutterified during work
@therealcc:, these people are making decisions that effect every person in this country.
Any alcohol is too much.
How would you feel about front line responders visiting the pub before duty ??
“What employer would allow drink being consumed in their workplace?” Sean hasn’t visited not heard of the tech companies in Dublin. He’s also surely ignoring his own place of work. Would be worried if a pub in Kerry wasn’t allowing drink be consumed on their premises!
@Joe Bourke: way to deliberately misinterpret the statement. Pretty obvious he’s talking about staff drinking while on duty. There’s a difference between going to a bar for hours and having a bottle of beer while at your work station.
I sense some nudging from DHR towards the Kerry branch
@samstheman: Bar staff move around all the time.
So it’s finally true. The kerryman jokes I’ve heard since I was a babby in the flats are all true!!!! Good on the kerrymen always good for a right oul knees up!!!!
There have been numerous instances of alcohol induced bad behaviour ” on the premises” over the years, & some cases of driving afterwards.
Times have changed, & the legislators need to apply stricter norms within their own place of work.
Close the boozer, and run the restaurant with the table drinks available menu after business hours only.
Plenty of other non alcohol drink options for earlier times.
Let the Healy-Raes run the Dail Pub.
They do a dab hand at being publicans in Kilgarvan
If I was a TD or Senator, I would have my pints in the Dáil Bar, get my Taxi and hop on the Dart and Relax looking forward to the next few Pints the following night and what is wrong with that,
Feck the Kerry Begrudgers.
What a sad little bunch.
Theyre right there should be no bar in the Dáil
Only work place with a bar on site
The Kerry boys.
Ditch the dail bar I say. No way In any Job there’s a subsidize bar to go to. And these are the people who are running the country. While I recon some are half cut putty legislation through. This is what we call Paddy logic. No wonder the country is still in a bad way. Clowns
It should be closed along with it on trains there is nothing good about alcohol
Yes it should you wouldn’t get into a bus with a drunk driver so why should I endorse a drunk politician making desicions that effect our country
Not fair to close it completely, having a beer at the bar is a right enjoyed by all the People… just stop funding it with taxpayers’ money!!!
@Nazim Moussaoui: that’s all ok but do you work in a bar I don’t know any businesses where major desicions are made with a bar and allowing drinking during work
It’s going to be funded with taxpayers money no matter what way you see it
have your say