Cohen Created, Shuttered Company To Buy Affair Story From Ex-Playboy Model

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 11: Michael Cohen, former personal attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, exits the Loews Regency Hotel, May 11, 2018 in New York City. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said this week that it was... NEW YORK, NY - MAY 11: Michael Cohen, former personal attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, exits the Loews Regency Hotel, May 11, 2018 in New York City. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said this week that it was a mistake to hire Cohen as a consultant it was revealed they paid him $600,000 last year. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer created and then dissolved a Delaware shell company in the fall of 2016, with the intent of using the company, Resolution Consultants, to pay off a former Playboy model alleging an affair with Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the WSJ, Cohen created the Delaware-based company in September 2016 and dissolved it in October 2016. The person told WSJ that Cohen planned to use the company to purchase the rights to Karen McDougal’s story about an alleged long term affair she claims she had with Trump from American Media Inc., which owns the National Enquirer.

The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Cohen created the company Essential Consultants LLC on the same day he dissolved Resolution Consultants, and used Essential Consultants to complete a $130,000 hush payment to Stormy Daniels, the porn star who said she had a sexual affair with Trump.

Cohen mentions creating a company to pay off McDougal in a recently released recording of a conversation he had with Trump in September 2016. The rights to McDougal’s story were never actually purchased, according to the WSJ.

Cohen’s lawyer, who shared the tape with CNN, claims the recording shows Trump suggested Cohen use “cash” to make the payment, which Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani vehemently denies.

“There’s no way the President is going to be setting up a corporation and then using cash, unless you’re a complete idiot,” Giuliani told Fox News Tuesday night.

Latest Livewire
106
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Because of the metric system ?

  2. Yeah, you’d think they’d be able to use credit cards, right, Rudy?

  3. So many corporations! Creating more jobs! Winning!

  4. Avatar for nikta nikta says:

    “…unless you’re a complete idiot.”
    Rudy…you’ve MET your client, yes?

  5. “Resolution Consultants”! I dare you to try to sound less legitimate.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

100 more replies

Participants

Avatar for kenneth_thomas Avatar for valgalky23 Avatar for paulw Avatar for xpurg8d Avatar for cervantes Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for danny Avatar for esteban Avatar for maxaroo Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for ted Avatar for reggid Avatar for clauscph Avatar for demyankee Avatar for khyber900 Avatar for marymaryquitecontrary Avatar for centralasiaexpat Avatar for erik_t Avatar for tompaine73 Avatar for paul_lukasiak Avatar for captain_america Avatar for haddockbranzini Avatar for thomaspaine

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: