Why Porn Star’s Lawsuit Is So Dangerous To Trump

Why Porn Star’s Lawsuit Is So Dangerous To Trump

Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.

A new development in the legal battles between Stormy Daniels and President Donald Trump may bring the fundamental question of the alleged affair between the two into open court.

On Monday, Daniels, the adult film actress and director whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen. She says Cohen defamed her when he appeared to deny her claim that she had sex with Trump in 2006, and that she was paid $130,000 in hush money before the 2016 election to keep silent about the affair.

The lawsuit refers to a specific statement Cohen made to the media on February 13. In responding to the allegations about Daniels, Cohen said: “Just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean it can’t cause you harm or damage. I will always protect Mr. Trump.”

“Both on its face, and because of the facts and circumstances known to persons who read or heard the statement, it was reasonably understood Mr. Cohen meant to convey that Ms. Clifford is a liar, someone who should not be trusted, and that he claims about her relationship with Mr. Trump is ‘something [that] isn’t true,'” Daniels’ lawsuit says.

It continues to say that the statement elicited “hatred, contempt, ridicule, and shame” toward Daniels and “discouraged others from associating or dealing with her.”

Daniels is seeking damages as part of the lawsuit.

If the lawsuit is heard in court, the key question will be whether Daniels’ claims about the president are true. This could give her the opportunity to prove, for the world to see, that she did have a sexual relationship with the president. It could also potentially require Trump or Cohen to be deposed, and if they lie, they could open themselves up to perjury charges.

The president and his team have found themselves in a gigantic legal mess. Whether they can get out of it unscathed is looking less and less likely by the day.

Cody Fenwick is a reporter and editor. Follow him on Twitter @codytfenwick.

Advertising

Start your day with National Memo Newsletter

Know first.

The opinions that matter. Delivered to your inbox every morning

Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump

Imagine this: You’re a clerk to a judge in a New York State court. You graduated from the Cardozo School of Law in 2010, and since then, you have worked as an associate in a New York law firm. For five years, you worked for the City of New York in its Special Litigation Unit handling law suits against the city. You have been the clerk to Judge Arthur Engoron since 2019, getting up in the morning and traveling by subway into Manhattan to your office in his chambers, or sitting beside him in court, advising him on cases, filings, motions – the constant flow of legal documents and questions that any judge in a big city court deals with constantly.

Keep reading...Show less
Trump Touts New Push To 'Repeal And Replace' Obamacare

The late Sen. John McCain gives thumbs down to Affordable Care Act repeal in July 2017

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

Donald Trump is once again living in the past, trying to resurrect a Republican political debacle that even the Freedom Caucus has abandoned: Obamacare repeal. “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives," he spewed on Truth Social on Saturday.

Keep reading...Show less
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}