During his hours-long testimony, Cohen admitted to paying Daniels $130,000 for her silence in the weeks before the election. He claimed he did so at the president’s behest, and he said that the president repaid him in installments. Cohen had spoken about being directed to pay the hush money before in court documents, but always referred to his benefactor as "Individual 1." On Wednesday, he clarified to Congress in his opening statements that "Individual 1" is President Trump. (Trump has previously denied the affair and the payments.)
After watching Cohen’s testimony, Daniels released the following statement: