After appearing at a federal court hearing in the trial of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's disgraced personal lawyer who was recently the target of a raid by federal prosecutors at the direction of special counsel Robert Mueller, Stormy Daniels has released a profile of the man she claims threatened her to expose her alleged affair with Trump back in 2011.
I'm still counting perceived threat Daniels told Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes last month that a man approached her and said, “Leave Trump alone. Forget this story.” Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said the man then looked at her daughter and said, “She's a beautiful little girl. It would be a shame if something happened to her mommy.”
Along with her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, Daniels gave her first and only live interview with moderator Whoopi Goldberg and the entire team of ABC's The View. Goldberg introduced Daniels to the all-female program, saying the performer “was on a mission to get heard about her alleged affair with a guy in the White House.” But fellow panelist Meghan McCain seemed intent on stopping Daniels from carrying out that mission.
McCain began her questioning by questioning the legitimacy of Daniel's desire to be heard, despite her accusations that she was silenced by powerful people. “In some ways, it's like a publicity stunt,” McCain said, and also questioned Daniels' motive for appearing at Cohen's trial, where camera crews were waiting for him.
“I understand that our president is suing you, but it looks like you're getting a lot of mileage,” McCain said before appearing to pass judgment on Daniels' career choice, taking issue with her current project called “Make America Horny Again.”
“No disrespect, I didn’t hear your name until all of this happened,” McCain continued. “And now you're literally doing a whole interview with us live on 'The View.' So it's been good for your career.”
Stormy Daniels' response to those who say she's cashing in on the scandal: “There's a lot of publicity out there, but that's not why I did it because that's not what I want to be known for.” https://t.co/f8u2wc159S pic.twitter.com/RVksH2A9SE
— The View (@TheView) April 17, 2018
Pointing to her supposed role as a celebrity embellishment in America, McCain emphasized that Daniels was not the first adult star she interviewed before ultimately dismissing her own arguments. “I respect any woman who succeeds in any industry, in anything,” she explained.
However, McCain's thinly veiled accusations against the victim did not end there. “Have you thought about all the implications this will have for the Trump family?” McCain asked Daniels.
Daniels made it clear that the decision to tell her story to the nation was not a decision she made lightly, and that, with a track record of success in her industry where she eventually rose to director, she had no desire to become famous simply because of an alleged sexual relationship with a man who later became president. “It’s overwhelming, scary and sometimes downright scary,” she admitted. While admitting she's making more money, Daniels added context: She's also spending more money due to new needs, including bodyguards, drivers and legal bills.
The adult film star had a double message for the American public: This is not a publicity stunt, and I'm tired of being bullied.
“What I do for a living shouldn’t matter,” Daniels told the women of “The View.” “What I do at work does not affect my ability to know right from wrong—or my ability to tell the truth.”
NEW: On @TheViewStormy Daniels and her lawyer have released a sketch of the man she says threatened her to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Donald Trump. https://t.co/lEpff3uN2l pic.twitter.com/PbvtI7eRso
— ABC News (@ABC) April 17, 2018
The sketch of the man who allegedly threatened Daniels and her daughter was drawn by Lois Gibson, who was given the title of “World's Most Successful Forensic Artist” by Guinness World Records. According to her websiteGibson's work has helped investigators correctly identify more than 750 criminals.
In the sketch, Danielle describes the offender, who she said was between 30 and 40 years old at the time, 5'9″ to 6'0″ tall, and thin but healthy. The discovery quickly became a top trend on Twitter, with Avenatti declaring, “We are offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of this man.” Avenatti also created a Gmail account with a catchy username: “Identify the Bandit.”
“We think we know who sent him,” Avenatti said, before adding: “We know someone knows something.”
Daniels' attorney also offered his own harsh predictions regarding Michael Cohen's legal fate. As for the president's lawyer, who reportedly arranged several hush-money payments to Republican politicians, including one $130,000 in exchange for Daniels' silence ahead of the 2016 presidential election, Avenatti said he has “no doubt” that Cohen will be indicted by prosecutors and ultimately confront the president in exchange for leniency. “He didn't do him any favors,” Avenatti said of Trump, who has publicly denied knowing about the payment to White House reporters.
“Michael Cohen is my lawyer, and you'll have to ask Michael,” Trump said at a news conference. time.
Stormy Daniels, her lawyer @MichaelAvenatti discuss participation in the court hearing regarding the FBI raid on Michael Cohen's home and offices, whether Daniels is benefiting from the scandal, and Trump's denial of a $130,000 payment to an adult film actress. https://t.co/f8u2wc159S pic.twitter.com/AxkaVO42QH
— The View (@TheView) April 17, 2018
