Daniels ‘thug’ a wanted man
UNITED STATES: Stormy Daniels has injected fresh mystery into the sensational story of the president, the fixer and the porn star, releasing an artist’s sketch of the man she says threatened her in a Las Vegas parking lot to stay quiet about her sexual tryst with Donald Trump.
After teasing the reveal for more than a week, the adult film actress appeared on ABC’s The View yesterday to unveil an image of the man she says menaced her and her young daughter and warned her in 2011 to keep quiet about a 2006 encounter with Trump. Upping the stakes, her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, pledged a US$100,000 (NZ$136,300) reward for information leading to the man’s identification.
While a mad internet scramble to identify the man added to the circus atmosphere surrounding the president’s legal troubles, the development also kept a spotlight on what Trump views as an increasingly serious threat: the federal investigation into his personal lawyer and longtime image protector, Michael Cohen.
Daniels says Cohen paid her US$130,000 just before the 2016 US presidential election to keep quiet about her relationship with Trump. The case took on new significance last week when FBI agents raided Cohen’s office, looking for information on topics including the payment to Daniels.
Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, said yesterday she was speaking out because she was ‘‘done being bullied’’.
She said she did not report the threat at the time because she would have had to reveal the alleged affair and was afraid.
‘‘I didn’t want everyone to know. I didn’t want my family to find out that way. I didn’t want my life to turn upside down.’’
The image quickly prompted a flurry of online speculation about the person’s identity, with Twitter commentators wildly comparing the image to a number of celebrities, including football player Tom Brady, musician Jon Bon Jovi and actor Willem Dafoe.
Avenatti has set up a suitably pugnacious email address to receive information from tipsters – idthethug@gmail.com – and said yesterday he had already received hundreds of tips.
Daniels, who is currently on a national strip club tour, said she had gained fame from her alleged encounter with Trump but ‘‘this isn’t what I want to be known for’’.
While she is getting more attention, she said much of the experience had been ‘‘downright scary’’. Her daughter needed a tutor, and she had hired bodyguards.
Trump has said he had no knowledge of the payment made by Cohen and doesn’t know where Cohen got the money. The White House has consistently said Trump denies the affair.
Asked about Trump’s denials, Daniels was unmoved. ‘‘I work in the adult business,’’ she said. ‘‘And I’m a better actress than he is.’’
–AP