US President Donald Trump has said it was "perhaps illegal" for a lawyer to record a client, a day after reports his one-time attorney had recorded them both discussing buying the rights to a story by a woman who said she had an affair with Mr Trump.
"Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyers office (early in the morning) - almost unheard of," Mr Trump tweeted, in a possible reference to an FBI raid on the office of his former lawyer Michael Cohen in April.
"Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client - totally unheard of & perhaps illegal. The good news is that your favorite President did nothing wrong!" Mr Trump added.
The New York Times reported yesterday that Mr Cohen made the secret recording of a conversation with Mr Trump before the 2016 presidential election in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model.
The newspaper, citing lawyers and others familiar with the recording, said the FBI seized the recording this year during a raid on Mr Cohen's office.
Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Mr Cohen for possible bank and tax fraud, and for possible campaign law violations linked to a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and other matters related to Mr Trump's campaign, a person familiar with the investigation has told Reuters.
The FBI seized documents and files as part of that investigation, which stemmed in part from a referral by the US special counsel's office, which is looking into possible co-ordination during the 2016 election campaign between Mr Trump's aides and Russia.
The existence of a recording raises further questions about the tactics Mr Trump used to keep his personal and business life secret while he was seeking public office.
Mr Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani told the Times that Mr Trump had discussed the payments with Mr Cohen on the tape but that the payments were ultimately never made.
He said the recording was less than two minutes and demonstrated the president had done nothing wrong.
The former model, Karen McDougal, said she began a nearly year-long affair with Mr Trump in 2006 shortly after his wife, Melania, gave birth to their son, Barron, the Times said.
The White House has said that Mr Trump denies having an affair with Ms McDougal and that he has denied having sex with Stormy Daniels.
Ms McDougal sold her story to The National Enquirer for $150,000 during the final months of the presidential campaign but the tabloid sat on the story, preventing it from becoming public, the Times said.
