Trump lawyer tries to gag Stormy Daniels after TV interview

Stormy Daniels is interviewed by Anderson Cooper of CBS News' 60 Minutes program. Picture: Reuters

Stormy Daniels is interviewed by Anderson Cooper of CBS News' 60 Minutes program. Picture: Reuters

Published Mar 26, 2018

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Washington - President Donald Trump's

personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, demanded Stormy Daniels "cease

and desist" after the adult-film star said in a "60 Minutes" TV

interview that she was threatened with violence to stay silent

about an alleged affair with Trump.

"Mr. Cohen had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any

such person or incident, and does not even believe that any such

person exists, or that such incident ever occurred," said the

letter sent by Cohen's attorney, Brent Blakely, to the lawyer

representing Daniels, Michael Avenatti, late on Sunday, shortly

after the interview aired on CBS. A copy of the letter was

viewed by Reuters on Monday.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, had implied

Cohen was behind the threat of harm if she did not "leave Trump

alone," which was made by a stranger in a Las Vegas parking lot

in 2011.

The letter also demanded "that you immediately retract and

apologize to Mr. Cohen through the national media for your

defamatory statements on '60 Minutes,' and make clear that you

have no facts or evidence whatsoever to support your allegations

that my client had anything whatsoever to do with this alleged

thug."

Daniels sued Trump on March 6, saying he never signed an

agreement for her to keep quiet about an "intimate" relationship

between them in 2006.

White House aides did not respond immediately to requests

for comment after the interview aired.

Daniels attorney Avenatti on Monday morning spoke with major

news broadcasts.

Stormy Daniels is interviewed by Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes. Picture: Reuters

In an interview with NBC, he said the man who threatened

Daniels while she was with her infant daughter was not Cohen but

that "it had to be someone that is related to Mr. Trump or Mr.

Cohen."

Asked about the cease-and-desist letter on CNN, Avenatti

said Cohen "needs to stop hiding behind pieces of paper and come

clean with the American public."

Daniels' appearance followed an interview aired last week on

CNN with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who described a

10-month-long affair with Trump starting in 2006. Trump would

have been married to his wife, Melania, during both alleged

relationships.

The White House and Cohen have both denied Trump had an

affair with Daniels. The White House has said Trump denies

having an affair with McDougal.

Cohen said he paid Daniels $130,000 of his own money during

the 2016 presidential campaign, but has not explained why or if

Trump was aware of the payment. In filings with the Justice

Department and Federal Election Commission watchdog groups have

said the payment amount may have exceeded campaign-contribution

limits and violated U.S. law. 

Reuters

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