May 16 (UPI) — A payment from President Donald Trump to his attorney Michael Cohen — believed to have gone to adult film star Stormy Daniels — should have been disclosed last year, the Office of Government Ethics said Wednesday.
Trump long denied any payment was made by Cohen to Daniels, but administration attorney Rudy Giuliani revealed it in a television interview last month.
Wednesday, the OGE said the president should have included the amount in his 2017 financial disclosure. It was included on Trump’s 92-page 2018 disclosure, filed this week.
The filing shows Trump paid between $100,000 and $250,000 to Cohen. The amount paid to Daniels, through Cohen, was said to be $130,000 — related to her claim of an affair with Trump before he was president.
“The information related to the payment made by Mr. Cohen is required to be reported and that the information provided meets the disclosure requirement for a reportable liability,” a notation in the OGE filing said.
This year’s financial disclosure form also includes revenue from Trump’s golf resorts, the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., and a $65,000 annual pension from the Screen Actors Guild for his work as a reality television show host.
First lady Melania Trump‘s income, royalties from Getty Images photographs, are also listed in the 2018 report.
The Office of Governmental Ethics is an independent government agency within the executive branch. It is responsible for developing policies and identifying conflicts of interest.
