Washington | Abandoned by two of his most powerful protectors, President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday (Friday AEDT) that he did not violate campaign finance laws and that the liability for hush-money payments to two women alleging affairs with him rests with his former fixer, Michael Cohen.

Both Cohen and American Media Inc, the company that owns the National Enquirer tabloid, now say they made hush-money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy Playmate for the purpose of helping Mr Trump's 2016 White House bid, a campaign finance violation. Mr Trump, in recent months, has gone from denying knowledge of any payments to saying they would have been private transactions that weren't illegal. He offered yet another explanation on Thursday.

AP