Michael Avenatti came out swinging against a report Thursday that his client Stormy Daniels made an unsuccessful attempt at selling her silence about having sex with Donald Trump before she was finally able to cut a hush deal.
People familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that Daniels' former attorney, Keith Davidson, approached ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen in September 2016 about paying his client to not go public with claims she and Trump had sex in 2006.
But Cohen balked at the proposal, according to the sources. However, about a month later _ just days after a tape became public of Trump bragging about being able to "grab" women "by the p_-y" _ the sources said Cohen had a change of heart and facilitated a $130,000 non-disclosure agreement for Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Avenatti disagreed.
"It never happened, it never happened," Avenatti told The New York Daily News. "Keith Davidson never approached Michael Cohen to sell the story. Michael Cohen heard that my client was going to go on 'Good Morning America' and he approached Keith Davidson and a deal was made."
Avenatti cited "documents" and recollections from Daniels, 39. He said his client's ABC News appearance was supposed to happen "shortly" before the 2016 election.
Davidson's attorney did not return a request for comment. Cohen's attorney declined to comment.
Trump has admitted to reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 hush payment to Daniels, but denies ever having sex with her.
Cohen is under federal investigation in New York for possible campaign finance violations as it relates to the Daniels payment, which was issued 11 days before Trump's election.
Cohen can be charged with campaign finance charges if prosecutors can prove that his hush payment to Daniels was meant to boost Trump's election chances, since it would thereby constitute an unreported in-kind donation.
The "Access Hollywood" tape set Trump back significantly in the polls and nearly derailed his campaign. Trump issued a rare apology for his offensive remarks in the recording, but concluded he had simply engaged in "locker room talk."
