White House refuses to say if Trump knew about payments to Michael Cohen from firm linked to Russian oligarch

The White House on Wednesday reportedly declined to say if President Donald Trump was aware of payments to his attorney, Michael Cohen, by a number of companies, including a firm linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

CNBC correspondent Eamon Javers said that he was rebuffed by the White House communications team after he asked an official to respond to a report from attorney Michael Avenatti claiming that Cohen received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Columbus Nova, which is run by the cousin of Vekselberg.

Avenatti, who represents adult film star Stormy Daniels, also alleges that millions were paid into Cohen's account by companies like AT&T and Novartis after Trump won the 2016 election.

"I asked a White House official this morning whether the president knew about those payments between a number of entities and Michael Cohen, the president's personal attorney, that took place both before and after the election," Javers reported on Wednesday. "The White House [is] not responding to that question, referring questions on this issue to the president's personal legal team, which also hasn't responded to questions."

Watch the video below from CNBC.