Porn star offers to pay back the $130,000
She wants to speak freely about alleged Trump relationship
An adult film actress who said she had sex with President Donald Trump offers to return the $130,000 she was paid for agreeing not to discuss the alleged relationship.
LOS ANGELES — An adult film actress who said she had sex with President Donald Trump offered Monday to return the $130,000 she was paid for agreeing not to discuss the alleged relationship.
Stormy Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — is willing to repay the money she received as part of a 2016 agreement, as long as she can speak openly about the relationship, according to a copy of a letter from Clifford’s attorney obtained by the Associated Press.
The letter sent to Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, and his attorney, Lawrence Rosen, said the non-disclosure agreement would be considered “null and void” after she returned the money and that would allow Clifford to speak about the relationship and the attempt to silence her while she publishes any text messages, photos and videos she may have.
“Mr. Cohen and the president should accept this proposal and allow Ms. Clifford to tell her side,” said her attorney, Michael Avenatti. “The American people can then decide who was telling the truth.”
The offer is valid until Tuesday afternoon, the letter said.
Cohen and Rosen did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment.
Clifford filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles last week that sought to invalidate the agreement so she could “set the record straight.”
The lawsuit claimed the “hush agreement” that was signed days before the 2016 presidential election is legally invalid because it was signed only by Clifford and Cohen and not by Trump. It refers to Trump as David Dennison and Clifford as Peggy Peterson, but an attached exhibit details their true identities.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said last week that Trump has made it clear that none of the allegations is true.
Cohen also has denied there was ever an affair and said he paid the $130,000 out of his pocket. He said neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Clifford.
“Neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly,” he said.
Clifford alleged in her lawsuit that Trump was aware of the negotiations. Also revealed Monday, Texas officials are investigating whether a notary properly witnessed the non-disclosure agreement signed by Daniels related to allegations that she had sex with Trump.
The Dallas Morning News reported that the Texas Secretary of State’s Office has sent a letter to Dallas-area notary Erica Jackson notifying her that there was “good cause” to take action against her notary commission.
Officials say Jackson’s stamp appeared on the document but she did not sign or date it, and she did not provide a certificate of whose signature she was witnessing.