Cohen testifies to paying Stormy Daniels from his own pocket

Michael Cohen, who served as former President Trump's personal attorney, testified in Manhattan court that he used his own funds to pay a former pornographic actress $130,000 to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump.

Cohen took the stand in the NY v. Trump case Monday, where he told the court that as the 2016 election came down to the wire, he took out a line of credit on his home in order to pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 in order to execute a non-disclosure agreement and obtain rights to her claims of the affair. Daniels alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 during a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, though Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations.

In October 2016, according to Cohen's testimony, he told Trump that Daniels must be paid in order to quiet her claims ahead of Election Day the following month. He testified that he spoke with Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg about how to fund the payment, with Weisselberg saying he was not in a position to initially foot the bill.

"I ultimately said, ‘OK, I’ll pay it,’" Cohen testified, noting the urgency behind the matter as the election was just days away. Cohen described to the court that Daniels' claims would have been "catastrophic to Mr. Trump and the campaign" if he did not take control of the situation and iron out the NDA and payment to Daniels.