Not normally a man of few words, Donald Trump answered a reporter’s question about whether he knew about the hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels with a curt, “No.”
It is the president’s first public acknowledgement of the headline-grabbing scandal that continues to afflict him, according to CNN. When asked why his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, made the $130,000 payment, President Trump replied, “You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. You’ll have to ask Michael.”
BREAKING: Trump speaks to reporters on Air Force One and goes on the record on both Stormy Daniels & Scott Pruitt. Details from @NicolleDWallace on @DeadlineWH. #11MSNBC pic.twitter.com/yMenPEoITS
— 11th Hour (@11thHour) April 5, 2018
Stormy Daniels and her lawyer Michael Avenatti have not been media shy. They have been a ratings hit and cable news fodder, especially Avenatti, who has sparred live on-air with Cohen’s counsel (Trump’s lawyer’s lawyer). Until now, however, President Trump has been uncharacteristically quiet about the situation. He has shown surprising restraint by not tweeting about Daniels since she filed suit earlier this year.
A reporter on Air Force One also asked if the president had set up a fund from which Cohen could withdraw money in order to make payments on Trump’s behalf. The president did not answer that question.
On the other hand, Avenatti didn’t wait long to tweet out a message to the president and his lawyers:
We very much look forward to testing the truthfulness of Mr. Trump's feigned lack of knowledge concerning the $130k payment as stated on Air Force One. As history teaches us, it is one thing to deceive the press and quite another to do so under oath. #searchforthetruth #basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 5, 2018
Good (actually GREAT) things come to those who wait!!! The strength of our case just went up exponentially. You can't have an agreement when one party claims to know nothing about it. #nodiscipline #thanksforplaying #basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 5, 2018