Ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal now free to discuss alleged Trump affair

Karen McDougal.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, reached a settlement on Wednesday with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, letting McDougal out of a contract that prevented her from being able to speak about an affair she says she had with President Trump.

In 2016, American Media gave McDougal $150,000 in exchange for the exclusive rights to her story about Trump, but it never ran the article. In her lawsuit, McDougal accused American Media of misleading her into signing the contract and alleged that Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was secretly involved in talks between American Media and her attorney at the time, Keith Davidson. Cohen is part of a federal corruption investigation, and his home, office, and hotel room were raided last week by FBI agents who seized documents in connection with McDougal, The New York Times reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.