RNC Figure Resigns Over Payout to Playmate

A top fundraiser for President Trump has resigned from the Republican National Committee following a report that he paid $1.6 million to a Playboy playmate he had an affair with. Elliott Broidy told RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Friday that he was resigning immediately, an RNC official familiar with the discussion tells the AP. The resignation comes after the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen helped negotiate a non-disclosure agreement between Broidy and the model last year. The unidentified playmate elected to have an abortion after discovering she was pregnant. “It is unfortunate that this personal matter between two consenting adults is the subject of national discussion just because of Michael Cohen’s involvement,” Broidy said in a statement.

Broidy, who is based in Los Angeles, had been deputy national finance chairman for the RNC, reports the Washington Post. Under the deal negotiated by Cohen between the married Broidy and the Playmate, the woman agreed to never discuss the relationship or she would have to forfeit the money. Cohen reportedly struck the deal in late 2017, about a year after paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 not to talk about her alleged affair with Trump. Broidy says Cohen approached him about the matter after the Playmate's attorney contacted Cohen. In the current campaign cycle, Broidy and his wife have donated more than $600,000 to the RNC and GOP campaign committees, per the Post. (Cohen is under criminal investigation following this week's FBI raids.)