Elliott Broidy, RNC deputy finance chair, resigns amid reports of Playmate payoff
Elliott Broidy, a prominent GOP fundraiser, has resigned as deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News. Broidy's resignation followed a Friday Wall Street Journal report that Michael Cohen, President Trump's embattled personal attorney, had negotiated $1.6 million in payments to a former Playboy model who said Broidy had impregnated her.
"I acknowledge I had a consensual relationship with a Playboy Playmate," Broidy said in a statement to the Journal. "At the end of our relationship, this woman shared with me that she was pregnant. She alone decided that she did not want to continue with the pregnancy and I offered to help her financially during this difficult period."
According to the paper, Broidy's deal with the Playboy model prevents her from speaking out about the agreement. In return, she was promised $1.6 million that would be paid in quarterly installments over a period of two years.
Cohen is also a deputy finance chair at the RNC. On Monday, federal agents raided his home, office, and hotel room. The raid stemmed from information gathered during the course of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling but is part of a separate federal investigation.
The raid seized documents relating to Cohen's $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has alleged that she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump more than a decade ago, and is working with federal authorities.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Mueller's investigation, personally approved the raid. Mr. Trump called the raid a "disgrace" and "an attack on our country" while speaking to reporters Monday night.
In January, casino magnate Steve Wynn resigned as the RNC's finance director after the Journal reported that numerous women had accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct over a period of several decades.
