The Stormy Daniels – Donald Trump scandal is one of the biggest scandals in President Donald Trump’s litany of scandals since his ‘locker room interview’ with Billy Bush, where he talked about grabbing women by loved ones and kissing them without permission were leaked to the media.
The mention of the name Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford) in the early 2010s may not have rung the bell in many minds, except in the world of adult entertainment. But that all changed when she sued the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, for preventing her from revealing her truth about a sexual relationship they had had in the past.
Facts about the Stormy Daniels – Donald Trump scandal
1. How they met
Stormy Daniels met Donald Trump in July 2006 at Lake Tahoe at a charity golf tournament where she dined with him at his invitation. Later that evening, she had sex with Trump on their first date in his hotel room. She also claimed that this affair with Donald Trump continued until 2007.
2. It all happened when Melania Trump was pregnant with Baron Trump
Although now is where the Stormy Daniels-DonaldTrump scandal rages on. The affair between the adult film actor and dancer and the then-future President of the United States took place when Trump’s wife, Melania, was pregnant with their son, Baron Trump.
3. Why Stormy Daniels sued the president
Daniels decided to sue Donald Trump for the right to tell his story about their alleged sexual relationship without fear of litigation, and not for profit. This happened after Michael Cohen, Trump’s attorney at the time, tried to silence her by paying him $130,000 to remain silent.
Daniels also alleged that Cohen tried to intimidate her and coerce her into keeping mum about the affair with Trump after getting her to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
4. The NDA
Although Daniels collected the money from Cohen and signed the agreement, she claimed in 2016 that the nondisclosure agreement was not binding because Trump had not signed the dotted lines of the agreement. She just claims to want to be able to speak freely about this matter without fear.
Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, also laments the intimidation that his client had to endure simply to ensure her silence. In her lawsuit against Trump, no form of harassment has been claimed, but she is asking for a “declaratory judgment” which can prove that the confidentiality agreement is not enforceable and that he can therefore speak freely.
5. Campaign Finance Violation
There have been insinuations that Trump paid Daniels the “hush money” from his 2016 presidential campaign funds, a claim the president has vehemently denied. He also went further to deny that the alleged sexual relationship with Daniels ever happened in the first place.
If it had been proven that Trump used his campaign funds to pay Daniels, it would have been in violation of federal law. The fact that former Trump lawyer Cohen admitted to paying Daniels out of personal funds should have put an end to that insinuation, but Cohen later admitted to “willingly and knowingly” violating campaign finance law. . Cohen has released numerous conflicting statements regarding these allegations. He initially claimed that the money came from his personal funds and that Trump did not repay them from his personal or campaign funds. He later admitted that the payment was made in other words to protect Trump’s chances in the election, but it was not from campaign funds and was not
6. Attempts to silence Daniels?
In December 2018, the pornstar was forced to pay James Otero, a Los Angeles judge, paid $293,052.33 in attorney fees after Daniels sued Trump, claiming she had been threatened by a stranger in the purpose of silencing her.
7. Fallout with Michael Cohen
In August 2018, Cohen surrendered to the FBI and pleaded guilty to eight counts, including making an excessive campaign contribution at the request of a candidate. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison in December 2018.
In recent times, Trump himself has admitted that Cohen and not him entered into a non-disclosure agreement with Stormy Daniels and Cohen was reimbursed the $130,000 by way of a monthly retainer of $35,000, which does not had nothing to do with campaign funds.
8. The Stormy Daniels Scandal – Will Donald Trump Affect Trump?
Trump might not really be affected by any of these allegations while he is in office due to the Justice Department’s policy against indicting a sitting president.