Donald Trump ‘Finally Cracked’ Over Stormy Daniels Payout, Says Her Attorney Michael Avenatti
Donald Trump “finally cracked” over the Stormy Daniels case, her lawyer, Michael Avenatti said Thursday, describing the president’s words on Air Force One earlier that day as a “gift” for his client and her case.
As Newsweek reported, Avenatti made the rounds of talk shows Thursday, pushing his client’s efforts to have a non-disclosure agreement she signed ruled invalid. If that happens, she’ll be able to speak fully and candidly about her alleged 2006 affair with Trump, in what could be potentially embarrassing revelations for the POTUS.
Specifically, Avenatti referred to statements Trump had made earlier Thursday. Aboard Air Force One, Trump was cornered by a reporter who asked him about the $130,000 non-disclosure agreement paid to the adult film star, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, by Trump attorney Michael Cohen. Trump has repeatedly refused to talk about Daniels, the alleged affair, or the so-called “hush money” paid to Daniels.
However, on Thursday, when asked again about the agreement, a visibly-upset Trump finally spoke. Asked if he knew about the agreement, he flatly denied knowing about it, saying simply, “No.” When pressed, he referred questions to his attorney.
“You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen. Michael’s my attorney.”
Asked about whether or not he knew where the $130,000 paid to Daniels came from, Trump again referred to Cohen. Cohen has claimed that he paid Daniels out of his own pocket, according to Reuters.
Evangelical leaders planning to meet with Trump about Stormy Daniels https://t.co/zFdTvpzoZA pic.twitter.com/vbgw9EnU5K
— The Hill (@thehill) April 6, 2018
By speaking publicly about the non-disclosure agreement at all, says Avenatti, the president doomed his efforts to have Daniels’ efforts to nullify the non-disclosure agreement.
“This is a gift from the heavens. I could think of few things that would be better for our case than the statements that the president made on Air Force One.”
Daniels wants the agreement nullified base on a legal technicality: specifically, she claims that since the agreement was signed by Cohen and not by Trump, it’s unenforceable. She wants to be allowed to return the $130,000 she was paid and to be allowed to speak freely about the alleged affair.
Meanwhile, as reported by the Inquisitr, Trump’s legal team is pushing to have Daniels’ case moved to private arbitration rather than a public jury trial. Doing this would make all proceedings in the case private, and kept out of the public eye, rather than made a matter of public record like a regular trial would be.
Despite allegations of an affair with an adult film actress, Trump continues to enjoy massive support from evangelical Christians. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, some 80 percent of self-reported evangelicals support the president.
