BY STEPHANIE FRANCIS WARD
Michael D. Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, said Tuesday that he used his own money to pay a porn actress $130,000 who is alleged to have claimed to have had an affair with Trump before he became president. But the statement, made to the New York Times, has raised ethics questions.
The payment made to Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as the pornographic movie actress Stormy Daniels, was first reported in January by the Wall Street Journal. The payment was made shortly before the 2016 election, the Washington Post reports. Cohen has previously said that Trump denied having an affair with Clifford.
But some attorneys–and an article in Above the Law by its executive editor–question whether such a payment would violate New York State Court’s Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 1.8(e) prohibits attorneys from advancing or guaranteeing financial assistance to clients related to considered or pending litigation, with some exceptions for court costs.
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