A $130,000 payment to a former adult-film star by President Donald Trump‘s lawyer was flagged as suspicious and reported to the Treasury Department, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime lawyer, sent the money through an account he created at First Republic Bank, the report says. Stephanie Clifford, known in her films as Stormy Daniels, received the money under the pseudonym Peggy Peterson, according to previous reports.
The payment, which Cohen said he paid out of his own pocket, was given to Clifford as part of an agreement not to discuss an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.
According to the Journal, people familiar with the matter in the report said that Cohen later complained to friends that he had not been reimbursed for the money he sent Clifford.
The source also told the newspaper that Cohen had missed two deadlines to pay Clifford earlier in October 2016, weeks before the presidential election, because he could not get in touch with Trump as the campaign raged toward its end.
The Journal, citing a source, said that the payment was received Oct. 27 at City National Bank in Los Angeles. The bank started an inquiry into the payment a year after the payment arrived.
“As a matter of policy, we don’t confirm or comment on inquiries from regulatory agencies or law enforcement, including subpoenas,” City National told CNBC.
The Republican National Committee, which Cohen joined last year as national deputy finance chairman, did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Cohen replied to the Journal’s request for comment with an emailed statement saying, “Fake News.”
The White House and the Treasury Department didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
