An adult film actress who alleges she had a consensual affair with Donald Trump has sued the President’s personal attorney Michael Cohen for alleged defamation.
The lawsuit filed in a California district court on behalf of Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, adds another twist to an escalating legal battle linking the porn star to the leader of the free world. Ms Daniels has sued Mr Trump, saying a nondisclosure agreement she signed is null and void because Mr Trump did not sign it.
A complaint alleges that Mr Cohen worked with Mr Trump to prevent Ms Daniels from going public during the 2016 presidential campaign, and it alleges that Mr Cohen has continued trying to stifle her from speaking out.
“Put simply, considerable steps have been taken by Mr. Cohen in the last week to silence Ms. Clifford,” the lawsuit says.
Mr Cohen did not immediately react to the lawsuit on Monday and he could not be reached for comment.
Mr Cohen has publicly said he paid Ms Daniels $130,000 (£91,000) in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election but has denied any link to the Trump campaign, saying he used his own funds without the campaign’s knowledge and was not reimbursed.
But the lawsuit alleges that Mr Cohen created an LLC “with Mr Trump’s knowledge” in an effort to conceal the source of money paid to Ms Daniels. And it says Mr Cohen’s statement on the payout falsely implied Ms Daniels was lying about her alleged relationship with Mr Trump by saying “Just because something isn't true doesn't mean that it can't cause you harm or damage”.
The previous month, according to the lawsuit, Mr Cohen had used “intimidation and coercive tactics” to press Ms Daniels into signing a false statement denying news reports about her alleged history with Mr Trump.
While Mr Trump has been uncharacteristically silent about Ms Daniels’ allegations and the White House has denied them, an unfolding legal fight around her right to speak out publicly – and an accompanying media blitz – have kept her in the news.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, Ms Daniels claimed that in 2011 she was physically threatened by an unidentified man and told to “Leave Trump alone” to dissuade her from speaking out.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah again denied to reporters that an affair had taken place, accusing Ms Daniels of inconsistency. He did not directly answer a question about Mr Trump, his campaign or the Trump Organisation potentially violating campaign finance laws.
“I can say, categorically, and obviously, the White House didn’t engage in any wrongdoing”, Mr Shah said.
