INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The disclosure sheds new light on the scandal involving Donald Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels.Washignton:
President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time in an ethics disclosure released on Wednesday that he repaid more than $100,001 to
former personal attorney Michael Cohen, shedding new light on a scandal involving Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels.The disclosure, signed
by Trump and released by the US Office of Government Ethics, did not describe the purpose or the recipient of the original 2016 payment to a
"third party" made by Cohen, for which he was reimbursed by Trump.But Cohen has acknowledged paying Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie
Clifford, in a transaction meant to buy her silence about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter between her and Trump.Rudy Giuliani, who recently
became the Republican president's new personal attorney, has said Trump reimbursed Cohen for the original, $130,000 payment, which was made
shortly before Trump's victory in the Nov
8, 2016 presidential election.The ethics disclosure draws a clearer connection between Trump and Cohen and further underlines
inconsistencies in descriptions provided by Trump and aides about the payments.Trump had previously disputed whether he was aware of the
payment by Cohen and whether he reimbursed his attorney
In April, Trump told reporters he did not know anything about the payment
His disclosure now suggests Trump repaid Cohen last year.Trump, his campaign and Cohen have all denied any wrongdoing.The acting director of
the ethics office, David Apol, said in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that the original payment made by Cohen should
have been disclosed in ethics documents that Trump filed in June 2017
Apol's letter was released with the Trump disclosures.The payment has been central to complaints filed by watchdog groups alleging that
Trump, his campaign and Cohen violated campaign finance laws when Daniels was paid shortly before the election and then further broke the
law when the payment was not disclosed in previous filings.Ethics disclosures are an annual requirement for senior federal officials and are
overseen by the ethics office, a government watchdog that provides oversight of an executive branch program to prevent and resolve conflicts
of interest.Trump's latest disclosure filing said Cohen incurred the expense in 2016 and that Cohen "sought reimbursement" in 2017
Trump fully reimbursed Mr
Cohen," the report said.The payment made by Cohen was between $100,001 and $250,000 and there was no interest incurred, the report said.On
May 2, Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor who joined Trump's personal legal team in April, said Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the
payment.Cohen has publicly acknowledged paying Daniels, saying he obtained the cash through a line of credit on his home
Daniels has sued to be released from the nondisclosure agreement.In April, the FBI raided Cohen's offices and home as part of a criminal
investigation, drawing Trump's ire.The ethics disclosure also contained information on Trump's personal businesses
For instance, it showed that Trump received more than $25 million in income in 2017 from Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach,
Florida, and more than $15 million in income from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.Trump spends time and vacations at both
clubs.While Trump's annual ethics disclosure reveals information about his personal finances, it lacks details of the sort found in an
Unlike past presidents of both parties in recent decades, Trump has refused to release his tax returns. © Thomson Reuters 2018(This story
has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
