White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said she first learned that President Trump repaid his lawyer Michael Cohen for payments made to Stormy Daniels when Rudy Giuliani talked about it on Fox News last night with Sean Hannity.
Watch the moment:
President Trump today
By Meg Wagner, Brian Ries and Veronica Rocha, CNN
Updated 9:42 p.m. ET, May 3, 2018
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Sanders: I learned about Stormy Daniels payment from Giuliani's Fox News interview
White House on falsehoods: "We give the best information possible"
Press secretary Sarah Sanders was asked if she lied to reporters when she said last month that they had no knowledge of payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
"The President has denied and continues to deny the underlying claim and again I've given the best information I had at the time."
Sanders on the Stormy Daniels payment: "The President didn’t know at the time but eventually learned"
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was just asked about the $130,000 payment from Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels. Rudy Giuliani yesterday said Trump paid back his personal lawyer — a contradiction to Trump's previous claims that he didn't know about the payments.
Here's how Sanders addressed the topic:
"As Mayor Giuliani stated, and I’ll refer you back to his comments, this was information that the President didn’t know at the time but eventually learned."
When pressed further about the contradictory statements, Sanders said. "We give the very best information that we have at the time."
6 questions that could come up in today's White House press briefing
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will take reporters' questions at 2:30 p.m. ET. Here are some things that could come up:
- Trump told reporters last month he didn't know about the $130,000 his lawyer paid to Stormy Daniels, but today he described how he reimbursed that money. So which is true?
- Rudy Giuliani's interviews last night — in which he directly contradicted the President at least once — have many in the White House taken aback. Does Trump have confidence in his new legal adviser?
- Giuliani also outlined conditions for a possible interview between the President and special counsel Robert Mueller. Will Trump sit down with Mueller if those conditions are met?
- NBC News is reporting that federal investigators have wiretapped Trump's longtime layer Michael Cohen, and at least one call between Cohen and the White House was intercepted. What was the call about — and was it with Trump?
- The President has teased the possible release of three Americans held captive in North Korea. Will they be released? If so, when?
- Speaking of North Korea, are there any more details about Trump's upcoming meeting with Kim Jong Un?
White House staffers taken aback by Giuliani's "clumsy" interview
Several White House officials were taken aback by Giuliani's dramatic interview Wednesday night.
One senior White House official told CNN that Giuliani's performance came off as "clumsy" to them.
Two White House officials told CNN that managing the situation is now out of their control, and several others pointed out that Giuliani and Trump have their own conversations before Giuliani goes on cable news — further proving that the President is his own communications director.
A source familiar with the conversation confirmed that Trump was not at all upset about Giuliani's performance.
Giuliani: "You won't see daylight between me and the President"
From CNN’s Dana Bash and Kaitlan Collins
Rudy Giuliani's cable rollout as a member of President Trump's legal team, and the torrent of statements he made Wednesday night, caught many in the White House off guard and flat-footed, highlighting the continued chaotic nature of the President's communications strategy.
Giuliani told CNN Thursday he and Trump are in sync.
"You won't see daylight between me and the President. The strategy is to get everything wrapped up and done with this so that it doesn't take on a life of its own."
The former New York City mayor said he spoke to Trump before and after his explosive announcement on Fox News last night when he said the President had reimbursed his attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 payment to the porn actress Stormy Daniels.
But Giuliani conceded that White House officials were caught off guard by his comments.
"They were, there was no way they wouldn't be," he told CNN Thursday. "The President is my client, I don't talk to them."
Case in point: White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley had pre-taped an interview with Fox News Wednesday that was set to air in the 11 p.m. ET hour. But after Giuliani announced Trump had in fact paid back Cohen for the hush money payment, Gidley had to return to the studio for a live interview.
Gidley told Fox host Shannon Bream that he had "no idea of the topics of the show" and referred questions to the President's outside counsel.
"I'm not an attorney," Gidley told Bream. "I just work at the White House."
Trump: "You'll see some very good announcements very shortly"
President Trump is giving remarks at a National Day of Prayer event at the White House
"It is wonderful to be here on this glorious spring morning as we celebrate the National Day of Prayer at the White House, in the Rose Garden. I want to thank Vice President Mike Pence and Karen for joining us, very special people," Trump said.
He added, "You'll see some very good announcements very shortly," although he did not elaborate.
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is committed to denuclearization
From CNN’s Steven Jiang
Kim Jong Un reaffirmed North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization in a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Pyongyang on Thursday, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Denuclearization of the peninsula is DPRK's firm position,” the ministry quoted Kim in a statement. “DPRK commends China's positive contribution to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and is willing to strength strategic communication with China,” Kim was quoted as having told Wang.
Kim's comments come as President Trump is planning to meet Kim.
Some of the times Trump and his team denied knowing about the Stormy Daniels payment
President Trump is shifting his story about the Stormy Daniels controversy following the revelation by his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, that the President reimbursed a payment to the adult film actress by Michael Cohen.
Trump said today denied that campaign money was used to reimburse Cohen and that he was paid via retainer.
But Trump — and his staffers — have previously said he was not aware of the $130,000 Cohen paid Daniels.
Here are some of the times team Trump denied the President had knowledge of the payment:
- White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, March 3: "There was no knowledge of any payments from the President, and he's denied all of these allegations."
- Principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah, March 26: "The President strongly, clearly and has consistently denied these underlying claims. And the only person who has been inconsistent is the one making the claims."
- Trump himself, April 5: "No. I don't know."