President Donald Trump broke months of silence on his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels Thursday, declaring that he didn't know that his personal attorney paid the porn star to keep quiet days before the 2016 presidential election.
Trump made the denial while on his way back to the White House from West Virginia, marking the first time he has ever personally addressed Daniels' claim that they had sex in the summer of 2006.
"No," Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One when asked if he knew that his longtime attorney Michael Cohen gave $130,000 to Daniels 12 days before the election.
Trump demurred when asked why Cohen made the hush payment.
"You'll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael is my attorney. You'll have to ask Michael," he said.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges that she signed a nondisclosure agreement in exchange for Cohen's payment. The 39-year-old porn star is currently battling that agreement in court, charging that it should be voided because Trump never signed it.
Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, said it speaks volumes that Trump refused to confirm whether or not he ever slept with Daniels.
"It's pretty obvious that he doesn't have the gumption to deny the affair because he knows that to do so would be an absolute lie," Avenatti told the New York Daily News over the phone.
Avenatti said he will file a formal motion Monday to have Trump and Cohen testify under oath in an open court. A judge denied a similar motion from Avenatti last week, saying that it was prematurely filed.
Avenatti was hopeful that the second filing will be successful since Trump's Air Force One remark adds another layer of confusion that could implore a judge to demand testimony from Trump.
"The strength of our case just went up exponentially," Avenatti tweeted later Thursday. "You can't have an agreement when one party claims to know nothing about it."
But Cohen took Trump's announcement as vindication.
"That's what I have been saying all along and that's what Michael has been saying all along," a spokesperson for Cohen said in a statement. "Michael Cohen made the payment to protect business, family and reputation. It had nothing to do with the election."
Cohen admitted earlier this year that he paid Daniels, but has refused to say why or whether Trump ever reimbursed him. Trump could have violated federal campaign laws if he in any way coordinated the payment.
Trump has remained uncharacteristically quiet, while Daniels and Avenatti have made numerous TV appearances resulting in damning headlines for the president.
Last month, Daniels told correspondent Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" that a mystery man once threatened to hurt her if she didn't "leave Trump alone."
Daniels alleges that she and Trump had sex in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in the summer of 2006.
The steamy claims have dominated headlines for months, as the alleged tryst took place a few weeks after first lady Melania Trump gave birth to Trump's youngest son, Barron, according to court records.
