Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster
This Nov. 20, 2016 file photo shows former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani arriving at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J.
- President Donald Trump's new lawyer Rudy Giuliani walked back some of his recent comments in a statement released Friday.
- Giuliani said the $130,000 hush-money payment to a porn actress in October 2016 wasn't connected to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
- He added that previous comments had reflected "my understanding of these matters," not Trump's.
President Donald Trump's new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, sought on Friday to "clarify the views" he expressed in a series of jaw-dropping media interviews in recent days about a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels in October 2016.
Giuliani revealed to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Wednesday that Trump had, in fact, repaid his longtime attorney Michael Cohen for for the hush-money payment to Daniels. Cohen had previously denied any reimbursement, and Trump had denied even knowing about the payment.
Giuliani then told "Fox and Friends" on Thursday that Cohen's payment to Daniels was linked to Trump's candidacy, raising questions about of campaign-finance violations. Experts have said such a payment could be considered an in-kind political contribution, violating the $2,700 limit an individual can give.
"Imagine if that came out on October 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton," Giuliani said. "Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He didn't even ask."
But in his new statement on Friday, Giuliani walked back the remarks, saying the payment was unrelated to Trump's 2016 campaign.
"There is no campaign violation. The payment was made to resolve a personal and false allegation in order to protect the President's family," Giuliani's statement read. "It would have been done in any event, whether he was a candidate or not."
Giuliani's statement also went on to attribute his recent remarks to his own "understanding" of the events and not information he had received directly from Trump.
"My references to timing were not describing my understanding of the President's knowledge, but instead, my understanding of these matters," Giuliani's statement said.
The statement was released just hours after Trump seemed to undercut Giuliani, telling reporters that Giuliani would "get his facts straight."
"He's learning the subject matter," Trump said Friday morning, adding that Giuliani just started working for him the prior day.
Trump later said that his team was "not changing any stories" about the payment. He accused media outlets of focusing on this "kind of crap" instead of more positive news about his leadership.
Read Giuliani's full statement below:
This is intended to clarify the views I expressed over the past few days.
These are my views:
First:
There is no campaign violation. The payment was made to resolve a personal and false allegation in order to protect the President's family. It would have been done in any event, whether he was a candidate or not.
Second:
My references to timing were not describing my understanding of the President's knowledge, but instead, my understanding of these matters.
Third:
It is undisputed that the President's dismissal of former Director Comey - an inferior executive officer - was clearly within his Article II power. Recent revelations about former Director Comey further confirm the wisdom of the President's decision, which was plainly in the best interests of our nation.
Allan Smith contributed reporting.