Dallas-based AT&T sent an email to its employees Wednesday, a day after admitting it made payments to a shell company that Trump lawyer Michael Cohen used to funnel hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

In the email, the telecom giant sought to lay out the facts behind the payments. It said Cohen, a longtime fixer and personal attorney for President Donald Trump, was one of many consultants that AT&T hired in early 2017 to get insights on the new administration. It wanted to better understand how the Trump administration "might approach a wide range of policy issues important to the company, including regulatory reform at the FCC, corporate tax reform and antitrust enforcement," the company wrote.

The all-employee email is AT&T's latest attempt to explain itself after confirming late Tuesday that it made payments to Cohen's company. The shell company also received payments from a company that's linked to a Russian oligarch.

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stephanie Clifford, shared documents that show the payments by AT&T and the company tied to the Russian oligarch on Twitter.

AT&T made four payments totaling $200,000 between last October and January of this year, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

But Reuters reported Wednesday that the total payments by AT&T could be even higher — as much as $600,000. A source told Reuters that AT&T had a year-long contract with Cohen's company. A full year contract for $50,000 per month would amount to a total of $600,000.

In a statement by AT&T on Tuesday, the company confirmed the payments and said it sought consulting from Cohen in early 2017. It did not disclose the amount it paid.

"Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration," the company's statement says. "They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017."

AT&T is in the middle of a merger battle with the federal government over its acquisition of media and entertainment company Time Warner. AT&T and Time Warner entered into a merger agreement in October 2016, and the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to block the deal last November.

The deal is valued at nearly $109 billion, including debt. It would give AT&T ownership of Time Warner's valuable TV and movie content, including networks like HBO and CNN.

Below is the email in full:

From: T Now

Wednesday, May 09, 2018 12:10 PM

Perspective on the news

To: All U.S. AT&T employees

Late yesterday, many media outlets reported that in 2017, AT&T hired Michael Cohen, a former lawyer with the Trump Organization. We want you to know the facts.

In early 2017, as President Trump was taking office, we hired several consultants to help us understand how the President and his administration might approach a wide range of policy issues important to the company, including regulatory reform at the FCC, corporate tax reform and antitrust enforcement. Companies often hire consultants for these purposes, especially at the beginning of a new Presidential Administration, and we have done so in previous Administrations, as well.

Cohen was one of those consultants. Cohen did no legal or lobbying work for us, and our contract with Cohen expired at the end of its term in December 2017. It was not until the following month in January 2018 that the media first reported, and AT&T first became aware of, the current controversy surrounding Cohen.