The ongoing sage of Stormy Daniels‘ alleged affair with Donald Trump continues, with new details emerging on a near-constant basis. Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has been a major player in the story of the consensual affair and the subsequent fallout. Cohen sat down with Vanity Fair and laid out his side of the events, addressing claims from Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) and her lawyer Michael Avenatti.
Cohen claims that his attempts to silence Daniels have nothing to do with Trump’s presidential campaign: “If she would have come to me a month before, or three months before, I would have done the same thing. People are mistaking this for a thing about the campaign. What I did defensively for my personal client, and my friend, is what attorneys do for their high-profile clients. I would have done it in 2006. I would have done it in 2011. I truly care about him and the family—more than just as an employee and an attorney.” It also seemed that Cohen was surprised with Trump’s win, saying that it seemed “that you can’t beat the Clinton machine.”
He also addressed Avenatti’s claims that someone close to Trump threatened Daniels, saying “unlike Mr. Avenatti, we are not handling this matter through the court of public opinion. We are handling it through a court of competent jurisdiction.” He also reiterated that he personally was not behind that claim.
“In fact, I have never spoken to her. I have never e-mailed her. I have never met her. I have never texted her. Every interaction with Ms. Clifford was always through her previous attorney. I can only speak for myself,” he said. “I reiterate: I have never threatened her in any way and I am unaware of anyone else doing so.”
When asked about why he used his personal home equity line to pay Daniels’ settlement, Cohen explains that “he did it for his own reasons and it’s irrelevant if people believe him or not.” However, he does take offense at CNN implying that he is a “less sexy version” of Ray Donovan.
(Via Vanity Fair)