In October 2016, Stormy Daniels' former publicist, Gina Rodriguez, informed the then-National Enquirer editor about Daniels' willingness to confirm her story on the record. Rodriguez texted the editor, mentioning Daniels and Trump, along with some redacted information, being featured on a website called The Dirty. She also mentioned that Fox News had been reaching out to Daniels, who had not confirmed or spoken about the matter.
The editor, Dylan Howard, expressed interest in the story and asked Rodriguez to email him the pitch so he could present it to the then-CEO, David Pecker. Howard indicated that Pecker would likely be willing to pay for the story, with Rodriguez suggesting a figure of $250,000.
