Trump lawyer says he paid Stormy Daniels out of own pocket
Michael Cohen says he paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to the porn star; chief national correspondent Ed Henry reports from Washington.
Adult film star Stormy Daniels filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen on Monday for defamation, Fox News has confirmed.
Daniels’ suit came just hours after Cohen’s attorney, Brent Blakely, sent a cease and desist letter to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, demanding she refrain from making any further “false and defamatory” statements about Cohen following her tell-all “60 Minutes” interview Sunday evening.
Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, on Monday, filed the defamation suit against Cohen in California.
“This case just became much more problematic for the president and Mr. Cohen,” Avenatti told Fox News.
Blakely did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Cohen has denied having any involvement in Daniels’ claim that a man threatened her in Las Vegas in 2011, warning her to “leave Trump alone.”
WHITE HOUSE: STORMY DANIELS IS 'INCONSISTENT,' TRUMP DOESN'T BELIEVE HER CLAIMS ARE 'ACCURATE'
But the complaint said Cohen’s denial represented a defamatory statement against Daniels.
“It was reasonably understood Mr. Cohen meant to convey that Ms. Clifford is a liar,” the complaint read. “Mr. Cohen made the statement knowing it was false or had serious doubts about the truth of the statements.”
The White House on Monday blasted Daniels for being “inconsistent,” and said President Trump did not believe her claims were “accurate.”
“The president doesn’t believe any of the claims Ms. Daniels made in the interview last night were accurate,” White House Deputy press secretary Raj Shah said Monday.
“The president has strongly, clearly and consistently denied these claims. The only one who’s been inconsistent is the one making the claims,” Shah added.
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In terms of Daniels’ “inconsistency,” Shah was referring to a statement signed by the adult film star in January, denying any type of sexual or romantic affair.
“I recently became aware that certain news outlets are alleging that I had a sexual and/or romantic affair with Donald Trump many, many, many years ago,” the statement signed by Daniels read. “I am stating with complete clarity that this is absolutely false. My involvement with Donald Trump was limited to a few public appearances and nothing more. When I met Donald Trump, he was gracious, professional and a complete gentleman to me and EVERYONE in my presence.”
In recent months, though, Daniels’ position has shifted. On “60 Minutes,” when asked why she signed that statement if she knew it was false, Daniels said she felt intimidated.
Cohen said he paid Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence days ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
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