The recent indictment of Donald Trump by a grand jury in Manhattan has once again drawn attention to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actor who was allegedly paid $130,000 by the former president to keep quiet about a 2006 sexual encounter.
The payment was made just before the 2016 presidential election by Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer and confidant who later pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in connection with the payment to Daniels.
Daniels was 27 at the time and Trump was 60. According to Daniels’ account, he invited her to dinner in her suite where he received her dressed in her pajamas.
She claims they had what “may have been the least impressive sex I’ve ever had.” Trump has denied that they ever had sex, accusing Daniels of “extortion” and calling her claims a “total scam.”
What is known for certain is that Daniels received $130,000, that payment is at the center of the indictment of Trump by the Manhattan district attorney, allegedly for possible violation of campaign finance laws.
Once the transaction was revealed in 2018, Daniels asked the courts to void his confidentiality agreement with Trump and began appearing on television shows.
On CBS’s 60 Minutes, she said she wanted to set the record straight: “I’m not a victim,” she stated flatly. And even if she wasn’t attracted to him that night in Lake Tahoe, she said her relationship was consensual.
The actress was also clear-eyed about promises she said she made Trump regarding a possible role on the hit show “The Apprentice,” which she later starred in.
Who is Stormy Daniels?
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Gregory Clifford, is an American adult film actress, director, and screenwriter.
She was born on March 17, 1979 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was raised by her mother, whom she described as neglectful.
Daniels developed an early passion for horses and aspired to become a veterinarian. However, her financial difficulties led her to start working in strip clubs during her high school years to support herself.
Daniels entered the adult entertainment industry in the early 2000s and quickly gained fame for her performances.
Stormy Daniels, who had previously expressed interest in running for a US Senate seat in Louisiana in 2010, has one daughter. In 2020, she married Barrett Blade, another adult film actor, making him her fourth husband.
As is common among adult film actors, Stormy Daniels adopted a stage name, selecting “Stormy” as her nickname.
According to a 2018 profile in The New York Times, this name was considered “more tumultuous” compared to other industry favorites like Angel, Summer, or Destiny.
A recent profile in The Guardian revealed that Daniels’ stage name was inspired by a combination of factors, including the name of Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx’s daughter, Storm, and Daniels’ fondness for Jack Daniel’s whiskey. She has also directed and written several adult movies throughout her career.
The Stormy Daniels Case
The charges, stemming from an investigation led by Democratic Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg, could reshape the 2024 presidential race. Trump has previously said he would continue to campaign for the GOP nomination if charged with a crime.
Donald Trump, 76, sought re-election in 2020 but was defeated by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has falsely claimed that he lost to Biden because of widespread voter fraud and has called the investigation that led to his impeachment a “political witch hunt.” Bragg’s office last year achieved a criminal conviction of the businessman-turned-politician’s real estate company.
A grand jury convened by Bragg in January began hearing evidence about Trump’s role in paying Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election he won.
Daniels, a well-known adult film actress received the money in exchange for keeping quiet about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006.
The former president’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, explained that Trump directed payments to Daniels and a second woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also said she had a sexual relationship with him.
Trump has denied having affairs with either woman. Federal prosecutors examined the payment to Daniels in 2018, leading to a prison sentence for Cohen but no charges against Trump.
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