Giuliani Says Trump Repaid Lawyer For $130,000 Payment To Stormy Daniels

In a sweeping interview on Fox News Wednesday night, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said President Donald Trump had repaid his lawyer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.

Its going to turn out to be perfectly legal; that money was not campaign money, Giuliani, Trumps new lead attorney regarding issues related to special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation , told Fox News Sean Hannity .

Sorry, Im giving you a fact now that you dont know, Giuliani continued, before saying that the payment was funneled through a law firm, and then the president repaid it.

The news directly contradicts Trumps statements last month that he had no knowledge that Cohen had paid Daniels. Reporters aboard Air Force One had asked whether Trump knew about the payment, to which the president replied: No.

Youll have to ask Michael Cohen, Trump said when pressed on the issue. Michael is my attorney. Youll have to ask Michael.

The White House declined to comment to HuffPost.

Hogan Gidley, the deputy White House press secretary, told Fox later on Wednesday that he had no idea of the topics of the show before Giulianis interview, but then directed all questions to Trumps outside lawyers.

WATCH: President Trump says he did not know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels while speaking to reporters on Air Force One pic.twitter.com/IPQ786tWRa

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WATCH: President Trump says he did not know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels while speaking to reporters on Air Force One pic.twitter.com/IPQ786tWRa
CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) April 5, 2018

Cohen is currently under criminal investigation by the Justice Department and FBI agents raided his office, home and hotel room last month, seizing business records and documents, including those related to the payout to Daniels. Trump has moved to distance himself from the attorney, saying last week Cohen only handled a tiny, tiny little fraction of his legal work.

During Wednesdays interview, Giuliani said Trump paid Cohen a retainer of $35,000 when he was doing no work for the president and claimed the fund was used for reimbursements. Giuliani later clarified to The New York Times that the payments to the retainer were made monthly from Trumps personal family account and that Cohen was paid between $460,000 and $470,000 in total, including money for incidental expenses.

When Hannity asked if Trump knew about the details of the payments, Giuliani backtracked slightly, saying that the president didnt know about the specifics of it, as far as I know.

But he did know about the general arrangement that Michael would take care of things like this. I take care of things like this for my clients, Giuliani said. I dont burden them with every single thing that comes along. These are busy people.

Late Wednesday, Fox News John Roberts said Giuliani backtracked even further and claimed that the president didnt know what the money was for, but was simply told by Cohen to pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnamed expenses .

Giulianis revelation appeared to take Hannity aback, and just moments after the host went off the air, Foxs Laura Ingraham questioned the bombshell.

I love Rudy, but they better have an explanation for that, she said. Thats a problem.