President Donald Trump has faced allegations that he sexually abused children aged 13 or younger and paid over $35 million to settle most claims brought against him. At least 35 million has already been paid out as settlement fees on those allegations; ratings:
Katie Johnson filed two civil suits alleging sexual abuse by Trump and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein when she was 13 years old, only for these complaints to be either dropped or dismissed without being heard in court.
What Is False
There is no evidence supporting claims that Trump paid over $35 Million to silence accusations he sexually molested several children aged 10-13 years of age.
Since January 2019, allegations have circulated online alleging that U.S. President Donald Trump faced multiple allegations alleging sexual exploitation against children aged 13 or younger and paid at least $35 Million to settle most claims and gain their silence:
This meme contains one nugget of truth: Katie Johnson filed two civil suits alleging Donald Trump and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused her at parties held at their Manhattan homes during 1994 when she was 13 years old. However, both complaints were dismissed by courts while Johnson herself withdrew both complaints, thus rendering their claims nonexistent in court and withholding support from any evidence offered in support.
Other parts of this meme appear to contain nothing but sensationalist fabrications.
Information for Johnson’s six entries cited here – children aged 10-13 who claim Trump sexually abused them while being paid off by Trump’s “fixer” to remain silent – comes from one source, specifically Wayne Madsen Report’s (WMR) post of January 14-15th of 2019 published by an obscure conspiracy monger known for being unhinged on facts or rational thought, who makes claims rooted in bigotry regarding world politics: Wayne Madsen Report
Wayne Madsen made some major headlines through his investigative reports: Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik was an Israeli agent and killed 69 people at Tel Aviv’s request; 9/11 attacks were orchestrated from both Tel Aviv and Washington D.C as “false flag” operations; USS Cole attack executed by — you guessed it — Israeli agents as part of another such false flag scheme in 2000
Madsen provides readers with insight into President Obama’s gay past (he wore clear nail polish and frequented Chicago bathhouses), speculates about possible White House S&M orders for special videos from Abu Ghraib prison, reports President Bush feces being captured from special toilets before it being “flown back from Europe”, among many other topics.
Key passage from the WMR article are as follows:
Donald Trump continues to criticize Michael Cohen, his former lawyer and “fixer”, ahead of his public testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, headed by Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) scheduled for February 7th.
Cohen says his objective is to present “an accurate account” of events surrounding their arrest and imprisonment.
Cohen may provide insight into some embarrassing matters he “fixed” for Trump that ultimately resulted in court trials; such as helping payoff victims of Trump’s sexual assaults from years past.
WMR reports on incidents far exceeding those widely covered in mainstream press articles and even those which involve women and adults; instead they point out Trump’s disturbing taste for children:
Cohen is said to have helped settle multiple rape claims involving Trump from both Stephanie Clifford (known by her pornographic moniker of Stormy Daniels) and former Playboy model Karen McDougal involving female minors; we obtained this list from an authoritative Republican source:
(1) Michael Parker was 10 when he experienced oral rape at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, FL during 1992 and his parents received a $3 Million Settlement payment from Donald Trump as compensation.
(3) Charles Bacon, 11 years old at the time and awarded $3 Million settlement due to allegations of oral and anal intercourse at Trump Tower New York in 1994, as well as allegations regarding oral sex at Trump Vineyard Estates Charlottesville VA 2012 with settlement valued at $5 Million
(5) Maria Olivera was 12-years old at the time she settled claims of forcible intercourse at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in 1993, receiving $16 Million as settlement from Mar-a-Lago’s insurance policy for claims related to forcible intercourse at that location.
Noll was 11 at the time he experienced sexual rape at Trump Tower New York 1998 with details as yet undetermined regarding any settlement agreements reached by either of their families.
This account highlights an implausible trope used in propagating wild conspiracy theories without evidence: an anonymous (and thus unverifiable) source who possess information of monumental significance but don’t do anything other than leak it to marginal, disreputable websites – or as The Encyclopedia of American Loons quipped, Madsen knows many individuals “who happen to overhear or receive extremely secret information. (Madsen had not responded to our request for comment at publication time.)
The scenario posed above contains another serious drawback. Parties to civil lawsuits often settle their cases prior to trial with confidentiality provisions that prevent disclosure, yet these agreements don’t completely erase all evidence of them from public record; complaints, responses, demurrers and motions filed with courts regarding these underlying lawsuits would remain available; yet nobody has managed to locate documentation related to one or more purported lawsuits against Trump despite our attempts.
Of course, accusations can also be lodged without having to resort to legal proceedings first – for example when at least six separate children between 10-13 reported that Donald Trump sexually raped them yet none of their parents filed police reports, criminal complaints or civil suits about this experience; instead they simply approached Trump privately demanding large sums as payment in order for him to keep quiet — an offer which Trump accepted without questioning their circumstances further.
Further undermining this claim that all cases involved private out-of-court settlements is the meme’s concluding statement: “In court, Trump was diagnosed as #65.4 ‘Pedophilic Disorder’ from DSM-5 Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.” If something had occurred “in court”, there should exist records documenting those proceedings somewhere.
Lawyer Michael Cohen began representing President Donald Trump only after all but one alleged sexual misconduct by him took place; and this scenario requires us to believe that all five parents with young children who reported Trump for sexually violating them waited anywhere from 8-29 years before seeking settlement of these matters or publicly taking any other course of action or speaking up in response.
Overall, this meme alleges — but has yet to prove — one claim of sexual misconduct by Trump as well as several unsubstantiated charges that exist only online conspiracy circles.
