Stormy Daniels claims in her lawsuit against President Trump that his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, used “intimidation tactics” in January to force her to sign a false statement denying an affair with Trump.
“In January 2018, and concerned the truth would be disclosed, Mr. Cohen, though intimidation and coercive tactics forced Ms. Clifford into signing a false statement wherein she stated that reports of her relationship with Mr. Trump were false,” Daniels, who’s real name is Stephanie Clifford, claimed in her lawsuit, obtained by TheWrap.
The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Cohen paid Clifford $130,000 in order to keep her story from getting out. Cohen denied the allegations, while criticizing the paper for perpetuating a “false narrative for over a year.”
Cohen also sent the paper a statement, addressed “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN” and signed by “Stormy Daniels” denying that she had a “sexual and/or romantic affair” with the president.
In February, Cohen admitted to the New York Times that he did make the payment to Daniels, but insisted the money was his and that the president was not involved in the transaction whatsoever.
But on Monday, the WSJ reported that Cohen coughed up the cash himself because he couldn’t get in touch with Trump during the final days of the campaign. The paper also said that Cohen had been complaining to friends that he hadn’t been reimbursed.
Clifford filed a civil suit against the president in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, claiming that her hush agreement with Trump was null and void because the president never signed the nondisclosure agreement set up right before the 2016 presidential election.
Clifford also argued that even if the NDA was signed, it’s no longer valid because Cohen spoke publicly about the secret agreement and payment, which she claims is a breach of the the agreement’s confidentiality clause.
The lawsuit also claims that Trump knew about the payment and that it was intended to keep an extramarital affair with the porn star a secret from voters.
The lawsuit goes on to say that Cohen pressured Clifford in recent days by initiating a “bogus arbitration proceeding” against her.
The lawsuit also suggests Clifford has “confidential information,” which includes “information, certain still images and/or text messages.”
Before signing the NDA, Clifford told journalists that she had an “intimate relationship” with Trump in the summer of 2006 in Lake Tahoe, just months after Trump’s wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron. an relationship that went on for nine months, according to Daniels.
Cohen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.