US President Donald Trump says reimbursement to his lawyer for hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels was done through a monthly retainer and "had nothing to do with the campaign".
Trump said on Twitter Thursday that his personal lawyer Michael Cohen received a monthly retainer "from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA".
The president added that "The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair."
Trump previously said he knew nothing about a US$130,000 payment made to Daniels days before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.
Trump's new attorney Rudy Giuilani said Wednesday the president reimbursed his own personal lawyer in hush money paid Daniels.
The comments by Giuliani during an appearance on Fox News' 'Hannity appear to contradict Trump's statements several weeks ago.
Outside experts say the revelation raises a number of questions, including whether the money represented repayment of an undisclosed loan or could be seen as reimbursement for a campaign expenditure.
In reaction to Giuliani's remarks, Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said Trump evidently participated in a felony and that there must be serious consequences for his conduct.
