Daniels says man in sketch threatened her
Washington – The porn actress alleging a sexual affair with President Donald Trump released an artist’s sketch Tuesday of a man she says threatened her in a Las Vegas parking lot to stay quiet about the relationship.
Stormy Daniels unveiled the image on ABC’s “The View.” She said she was threatened and told not to talk about a 2006 tryst with Trump by the man in 2011 but didn’t report it because she was scared.
Daniels said if she had reported the threat at the time, she would have had to reveal the affair and she “didn’t want my life to turn upside down.”
The adult film actress, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, says she had sex once with Trump in 2006 and that Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, paid her $130,000 days before the 2016 election for her silence.
Staying in the headlines as she seeks to invalidate her pre-election nondisclosure agreement, Daniels and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, have slowly offered more information about the alleged threat. More than a week ago, Avenatti tweeted a photo that he said showed Daniels sitting with a forensic sketch artist.
Avenatti says they are now offering $100,000 for information leading to the man’s identification.
After Daniels first alleged she was threatened, a lawyer for Cohen demanded that Daniels publicly apologize to his client for suggesting Cohen was involved in her intimidation. Daniels responded by filing a revised federal lawsuit accusing Cohen of defamation.
The release of the sketch comes as Cohen is facing a federal investigation that could reveal the inner dealings of Trump’s longtime legal fixer and image protector. A U.S. District judge on Monday heard debate over what should happen to records, including multiple electronic records, seized from Cohen in FBI raids.
Daniels made an appearance at the hearing and was swarmed by photographers. She nearly fell as she was hustled into the courthouse, a scene that illustrated the sensational atmosphere around the case.
The proceedings on Monday took another unexpected turn when Cohen was forced to reveal that Fox News host Sean Hannity was also his client. Cohen’s lawyers did not detail the type of legal work he did for Hannity, who frequently defends Trump and assails his critics in a combative manner. On his radio show, Hannity said Cohen was never involved in any matter between him and any third party.
Trump answered questions about Daniels for the first time recently, saying he had no knowledge of the payment made by Cohen and adding that he didn’t know where Cohen had gotten the money. The White House has consistently said Trump denies the affair.