(Newser) – The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a $130,000 payment was made to a porn star by a lawyer for President Trump in order to ensure her silence in advance of the election. What the Journal claims the silence was in connection with: an alleged consensual sexual encounter Trump had with Stephanie Clifford, who goes by Stormy Daniels in films, in July 2006. The Journal alleges the payment was made by Michael Cohen in October 2016 upon Clifford's signing of a nondisclosure agreement. He said she was considering going public because she had yet to receive the payment and feared it wasn't coming. Cohen also supplied a statement that read in part, "Rumors that I have received hush money from Donald Trump are completely false"; it was signed by Stormy Daniels.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 13, 2018 12:15 UTC