Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, developed a new shell company for the purpose of buying former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story, according to a report. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cohen created Resolution Consultants LLC in September 2016 to “purchase the rights” to McDougal’s story, which claimed she had an affair with Trump, from The National Enquirer. The newspaper had bought the story from McDougal for $150,000 a month earlier. Cohen and an executive from American Media Inc.—which owns the Enquirer—reportedly discussed the sale but the company “declined” to move forward. Cohen dissolved Resolution Consultants in October 2016, and then created Essential Consultants, which he used to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 as part of a hush agreement regarding her alleged affair with the president. This comes after a recording was released Tuesday in which Trump and Cohen can be heard discussing the payment to McDougal.