At the time, Cohen was a organization husband or wife in the taxi business enterprise with "taxi king" Simon Garber. Cohen was presented a composed proposal in a sealed envelope that he shipped to then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn in early February. Cohen explained to The New York Times in February 2018 that he paid the $130,000 to Daniels from his personal pocket he also stated that the payment was not a campaign contribution and he was not reimbursed by either the Trump Organization or the Trump campaign. Cohen initiated a non-public arbitration case versus Daniels in February 2018, dependent on an October 2016 non-disclosure settlement signed by Daniels in October 2016, in trade for $130,000. On May 18, lawyers for Cohen submitted an objection to Daniel's lawyer Michael Avenatti staying authorized to signify her in a circumstance involving Cohen, professing it (the objection) was based on the violations of moral principles and neighborhood court docket principles, between other issues.