During a Wednesday morning press gaggle, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the lawsuit filed by Stormy Daniels—the porn star that was paid $130,000 in hush money by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer just ahead of the 2016 presidential election—and Sanders said:
We’ve addressed our feelings on that situation, and I don’t have anything else to add.
Uh, no. They haven’t. On January 8 the White House said:
This allegation was asked and answered during the campaign, and I’ll point you to those comments. … this matter was asked and answered during the campaign, and anything else can be directed to Michael Cohen.
Yes, that would be the Michael Cohen that we later learned paid off Ms. Daniels. Presumably this directive is no longer operable.
On February 2, we got this from the White House press pool:
POTUS waved and flashed a thumbs up as he walked across a cold, windy South Lawn to board Marine One. He did not answer shouted questions about … Stormy Daniels.
And finally, from the February 22 White House press briefing:
Q Yeah, just another subject. Last week, the President's personal lawyer acknowledged giving a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Is the President aware that his lawyer paid that kind of money to a porn star to buy her silence? Does he approve of that?
MR. SHAH: I haven't asked him about it, but that matter has been asked and answered in the past.
Q No, not since he acknowledged this. He acknowledged this last week. This is the first time we've had a chance to ask about it. So can you go back -- can we find out if the President approves of the fact that his personal --
MR. SHAH: I haven't asked him about that.
Q Will you ask him about that?
MR. SHAH: I haven't asked him about it.
Q But will you ask him about it, Raj?
MR. SHAH: I'll get back to you.
Apparently Mr. Shah never got back to our intrepid reporter, but there you have it. All questions about Donald Trump having his personal lawyer—possibly in violation of federal election law—pay off a porn star to keep quiet about an affair in the months following the birth of his youngest son have been asked and answered, and that’s all you need to know. According to the White House press secretary anyway. And it seems, the White House press corps.