Lieu Wants FBI to Investigate Stormy Daniels and National Enquirer Payments

Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY) want FBI Director Christopher Wray to open an investigation into two questionable payments made by two longtime Donald Trump confidants during the 2016 election. In a letter, Lieu and Rice say that if allegations against these improper payments hold true, they could represent violations of federal election laws. Just before the election, Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen made a $130,000 payment to Stephanie “Stormy Daniels” Clifford, who allegedly had an affair with Trump, reportedly as a way to buy her silence. Similarly, the National Enquirer paid Karen McDougal, another person who allegedly had an affair with Trump, $150,000 for her story, only to never publish it. “As Members of Congress, we are troubled by these payments because they are evidence of moral failings by the President.  As former prosecutors, we believe these payments may be felonies. ... Payments to silence individuals with negative information about then-candidate Trump may violate federal election laws,“ the members wrote. See the full letter here.