Not long after Stormy Daniels’s lawyer went on Today to discuss his client’s lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, news of an allegedly secret restraining order filed by the latter broke at NBC News. Per the report, Cohen “[obtained] a secret restraining order in a private arbitration proceeding and warning that she faces penalties if she publicly discusses a relationship with the president.”
According to emails and documents obtained by NBC News:
Cohen obtained a temporary restraining order against Clifford from the private arbitrator, a retired judge, which bars her from disclosing “confidential information” related to the nondisclosure agreement signed in October 2016, according to a copy of the document obtained by NBC News.
On Feb. 28, Cohen emailed the restraining order to Clifford’s former attorney, Keith Davidson. “The document itself is to remain confidential and not to be disclosed to anyone as per the terms of the judge’s order,” the email, obtained by NBC News, said.
To make matters weirder, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders may have confusingly referenced the secret arbitration during Wednesday’s press briefing. “I have had conversations with the president about this and as I outlined earlier, this case had already been won in arbitration,” she told reporters when asked about the ex-adult film star’s alleged affair with Trump. She also said the president denies “all of these allegations.”
Even so, NBC News notes it remains “unclear” precisely what Sanders was referring to while discussing “arbitration,” as “Trump is not listed as a party on the restraining order.” When asked about the comment in particular, Daniels’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti joked, “Yeah, and he won the popular vote, too.”
(Via NBC News)