A Hillary Clinton backer reportedly paid half a million dollars to pay a lawyer representing women accusing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump of sexual misconduct.
Susie Tompkins Buell, a long-time Clinton donor, paid celebrity lawyer Lisa Bloom $500,000 to fund security, relocation and possibly a ‘safe house,’ for women who might ‘find the courage to speak out’ against Trump, the New York Times reported.
Clinton operative David Brock also gave $200,000, through his nonprofit group, to Bloom.
Susie Tompkins Buell, a long-time Hillary Clinton donor (pictured with the former first lady in 2007) reportedly paid half a million dollars to pay a lawyer representing women accusing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump of sexual misconduct
The lawyer insists they never spoke to Clinton or her campaign about the effort or donations.
She said that she only ever agreed to represent clients who she had checked out the claims of.
Bloom, the daughter of famous attorney Gloria Allred – who has represented multiple women in sexual misconduct cases – also refuted any suggestions the cash she’d received was used to bribe or persuade women to come forward – insisting the funds were for their security.
The claims were first made in The Hill last month, which reported that Bloom had allegedly agreed to offer compensation payouts for Trump accusers and a commission for herself.
![The cash was to help create security for women accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/01/18/47A79AC600000578-5226707-image-a-22_1514833188333.jpg)
The cash was to help create security for women accusing Donald Trump of sexual misconduct
![Buell, a long-time Clinton donor, paid celebrity lawyer Lisa Bloom $500,000 to fund security, relocation and possibly a 'safe house,' for women who might 'find the courage to speak out' against Trump](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/01/18/47AF592E00000578-5226707-image-a-23_1514833195732.jpg)
Buell, a long-time Clinton donor, paid celebrity lawyer Lisa Bloom $500,000 to fund security, relocation and possibly a ‘safe house,’ for women who might ‘find the courage to speak out’ against Trump
![Clinton operative David Brock also gave $200,000, through his nonprofit group, to Bloom](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/01/18/47AF592A00000578-5226707-image-a-24_1514833199181.jpg)
Clinton operative David Brock also gave $200,000, through his nonprofit group, to Bloom
They highlighted one claim, where the newspaper stated that Bloom arranged for a donor to pay off one woman’s mortgage and even tried to arrange a six-figure payout for another.
‘It doesn’t cost anything to publicly air allegations,’ Bloom said. ‘Security and relocation are expensive and were sorely needed in a case of this magnitude, in a country filled with so much anger, hate and violence.’
Bloom told The Times that despite the $700,000 donations, the effort was never successful – none of the women they approached ever went on the record.
Two Democrat sources told The Times that Bloom had kept the $200,000 she received from Brock, saying she’d needed some funds to cover out-of-pocket expenses while preparing the cases, but that she’d returned the $500,000 donation to Buell.
Buell said she remains frustrated, more than a year on, that Trump appeared to have escaped his accusers, while many other high powered politicians, media and entertainment executives had been fired over their sexual misconduct allegations.