Trump lawyer Michael Cohen arranged to pay US$1.6m to Playboy playmate ‘who fell pregnant with Republican donor’s child’
Michael Cohen, whose offices were recently raided by the FBI, organised for the unnamed Playmate to be paid the sum after she had an affair with Republican donor Elliott Broidy
Michael Cohen, the long-time personal lawyer to US President Donald Trump who arranged a non-disclosure payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, also helped top Republican donor Elliott Broidy negotiate a US$1.6 million payment to a former Playboy Playmate.
Broidy agreed in late 2017 to pay money to the woman, who said she had been impregnated by him, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“I acknowledge I had a consensual relationship with a Playboy Playmate,” he said in a statement on Friday. “At the end of our relationship, this woman shared with me that she was pregnant. She alone decided that she did not want to continue with the pregnancy and I offered to help her financially during this difficult period.”
Broidy said that he retained Cohen in the matter after the lawyer approached him about it. The agreement was first reported to The Wall Street Journal , which cited people familiar with the matter.
Both Broidy and Cohen serve as deputy fundraising chairs for the Republican National Committee, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The deal prohibited the Los Angeles woman from disclosing her relationship with Broidy, the Journal said.
“I would like to sincerely apologise to my wife and family for the hurt that I have caused,” Broidy said in his statement.
“It is unfortunate that this personal matter between two consenting adults is the subject of national discussion just because of Michael Cohen’s involvement.
“Mr Cohen reached out to me after being contacted by this woman’s attorney, Keith Davidson. Although I had not previously hired Mr Cohen, I retained Mr Cohen after he informed me about his prior relationship with Mr Davidson.”
Davidson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Broidy agreement used the pseudonyms David Dennison and Peggy Peterson, the paper reported. Those were the same pseudonyms used in the agreement that Cohen arranged for Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. That deal, which Trump didn’t sign, is the subject of a continuing arbitration and court battle.
The woman alleged that Broidy had paid her for an exclusive sexual relationship, the Journal cited one unnamed source as saying.
