Trump Was Reportedly Taped Talking About Paying Off A Playboy Model Who Said She Had An Affair With Him

The recording came from an FBI raid on the offices of Trump's longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, the New York Times reported.

President Donald Trump was secretly recorded by his confidant and longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, talking about paying off a former Playboy model who said she has an affair with Trump, the New York Times reported Friday.

Trump's conversation about a payoff to Karen McDougal came just two months before the presidential election, the Times reported, citing people familiar with the tape.

Cohen is currently under criminal investigation by federal authorities in New York. The FBI seized the recording when it raided his offices earlier this year.

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, didn't immediately return a request for comment.

Trump's lawyer, Rudy Guiliani, confirmed that he discussed a payment with Cohen that was recorded — but said that it was never made and that the tape exonerates the president.

“Nothing in that conversation suggests that he had any knowledge of it in advance,” said Giuliani, who didn't immediately return a request from BuzzFeed News.

In a tweet responding to the tape, McDougal's lawyer, Peter Stris, said that Trump had accused him and McDougal of lying.

Stris did not immediately return a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.

McDougal reportedly sold her story to the National Enquirer for $150,000 — but the tabloid never ran it, a practice known as catch-and-kill. The editor, David Pecker, is a strong Trump ally. A representative at American Media, which owns the Enquirer, said he would pass a request for comment on.