Stormy Daniels, an American adult film actress, has been a prominent figure in the media over the past few years, primarily due to her alleged relationship with former U.S. President Donald Trump. In this article, we delve into who Stormy Daniels is and explore her controversial connection with Trump that garnered widespread attention.
Who is Stormy Daniels?
Born Stephanie Gregory Clifford on March 17, 1979, Stormy Daniels is an American adult film actress, director, and screenwriter. She began her career in the adult entertainment industry in the late 1990s and quickly rose to prominence, earning numerous awards and accolades for her work. Besides her adult film career, Daniels has also dabbled in mainstream acting, appearing in movies and television shows such as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” and “Dirt.”
The Trump-Daniels Controversy:
In January 2018, the Wall Street Journal reported that Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal attorney at the time, had arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels in October 2016, just weeks before the presidential election. The payment was allegedly intended to buy her silence regarding an affair she claimed to have had with Trump in 2006, shortly after the birth of his youngest son, Barron.
Non-disclosure agreement
The alleged affair and subsequent payoff became a significant scandal for the Trump administration, as Daniels claimed the non-disclosure agreement she signed was invalid due to Trump’s failure to sign it personally. This led to a protracted legal battle between Daniels, Trump, and Cohen.
In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, including campaign finance violations related to the payment made to Daniels. He stated under oath that he had made the payment “in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office,” referring to Trump. Cohen was later sentenced to three years in prison.
As for Daniels, she filed multiple lawsuits against Trump and Cohen, including one for defamation after Trump referred to her as a “total con job” on Twitter. However, her defamation lawsuit was dismissed in October 2018 by a federal judge, who ordered Daniels to pay Trump’s legal fees.
Defamation lawsuit
A Los Angeles federal court ruled in 2018 that Trump’s statements were not defamatory and protected by the First Amendment.
The judge’s judgment was affirmed on appeal and the US Supreme Court declined to revisit it in 2021.
Daniels said a guy threatened her and her young daughter in a Las Vegas parking lot in 2011 after she agreed to discuss about her connection with Trump in a media interview.
She sketched him in 2018. Trump tweeted: “A later drawing of a nonexistent individual. A sham, fooling the Fake News Media (but they know it)!”
