Michael Cohen Image by Getty Images

President Trump has admitted repaying lawyer Michael Cohen up to $250,000 last year in an ethics filing — a payment that may be for the $130,000 deal to keep porn star Stormy Daniels quiet about their alleged affair.

Trump detailed a payment to Cohen of more than $100,001 and less than $250,000 that was incurred in 2016, according to ethics disclosures signed by the president that were released by the Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.

The filing did not disclose what the payment was for.

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USA-TRUMP/DISCLOSURE (UPDATE 1) UPDATE 1-Trump repaid attorney Cohen for ‘third party’ expense -disclosure (Adds details from disclosure document)

By Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time that he repaid his attorney Michael Cohen for a payment of at least$100,001 made to a “third party” in 2016, according to ethics disclosures signed by the president that were released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.

Cohen made a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, shortly before the Nov. 8, 2016, presidential election in exchange for her staying silent about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

Trump’s new disclosure statement did not describe the purpose or the recipient of the 2016 payment made by Cohen.

But the acting director of the ethics office, David Apol, in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said it should have been disclosed in ethics documents that Trump filed in June 2017. Apol’s letter was released with the Trump disclosures.

The ethics office is a government watchdog that provides oversight of the executive branch program designed 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. “Mr. Trump fully reimbursed Mr. Cohen,” the report said.

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