Former President Donald Trump applauded the decision by the Federal Elections Commission to drop an investigation into hush-money payments.
The FEC announced Thursday that the committee voted to drop a case regarding a $130,000 payment by ex-attorney Michael Cohen to adult star Stormy Daniels. The payment was being investigated as a possible hush payment relating to an alleged affair between the adult film star and Trump, Fox News reported.
Cohen previously apologized to Daniels for silencing her, claiming that the $130,000 payment was a hush-money transaction, and led Cohen to plead guilty for campaign contribution violations.
????????BREAKING: GOP commissioners kill @FEC case against former Pres. Trump for knowingly and willfully accepting a $130k contribution to spike the Stormy Daniels story just before Election Day 2016 – the same $130k payment that sent his lawyer to prison.https://t.co/1wQZg2jIrq pic.twitter.com/IZfn26FpGz
— Ellen L. Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) May 6, 2021
“The Federal Election Commission in Washington, D.C., has totally dropped the phony case against me concerning payments to women relative to the 2016 Presidential Election.” Trump said in a statement on his website.
Trump also called Cohen a “corrupt and convicted lawyer” and said that he was “so corrupt” that it landed him a three-year jail sentence for lying to Congress and other events that have”nothing to do with [him],” before thanking the commission for “ending this chapter of fake news.” (RELATED: ‘So Nice To See’ — Trump Piles On To Boos Against Romney By Calling Him A ‘Stone Cold Loser’)
“Between two sleazebag lawyers, Michael Avenatti and Michael Cohen, we were all able to witness law and justice in our Country at its lowest!” Trump said in his statement.
Democrats on FEC blast decision to drop probe into Trump hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels: “Defies reality” https://t.co/zyk6HgnJNJ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 7, 2021
Cohen slammed the decision by the FEC in a statement to Fox news, saying that the facts were “well known to all” and that Trump directed the payment for his benefit.
“Like me, Trump should have been found guilty, how the FEC committee could rule any other way is confounding.” Cohen said according to Fox News