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WSJ: First Republic Bank flagged payment to adult-film star as suspicious

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WSJ: First Republic Bank flagged payment to adult-film star as suspicious

When President Donald Trump's lawyer wired money to Stephanie Clifford, it was done through a First Republic Bank account, according to The Wall Street Journal. And the San Francisco-based bank flagged the transaction as suspicious and reported it to the U.S. Treasury Department, the WSJ added, citing an anonymous source.

Clifford, a former adult-film actress who went by the professional name Stormy Daniels, received $130,000 from Michael Cohen in exchange for keeping quiet about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Trump and Cohen have denied that the relationship existed, and the White House did not respond to the WSJ's request for comment on the latest allegations.

The funds were received by an account belonging to Clifford's lawyer at City National Bank on Oct. 27, 2016, according to the WSJ.

Los Angeles-based City National conducted its own review of the wire transfer approximately a year after it occurred, the WSJ reported, citing an unnamed source. The bank was concerned about the source of the funds, which was a company Cohen allegedly created just a few days before sending the money.

Cohen, in response to the WSJ's request for comment, responded with "Fake News." First Republic Bank and the Treasury Department declined the WSJ's requests for comment, and City National did not comment on the matter.