Porn star Stormy Daniels says she is prepared to testify under oath before Congress about the $130,000 hush money she took from Michael Cohen in exchange for her silence regarding her alleged sexual encounter with President Trump before the 2016 election.
“If Donald Trump has done things he shouldn’t have during his campaign he should be impeached. If he has broken the law he should be arrested and treated like anyone else,” Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, told British tabloid Mirror in an interview published this weekend.
“I’ll happily testify under oath and prove my story is true,” she continued. “I have always said that the truth is the most important thing and that is why I spoke out in the first place – so I can look my daughter in the eye and know I was honest. Now the truth is coming out and justice must be done.”
Daniels’ willingness to appear before congressional investigators comes as Cohen pleaded guilty last Tuesday in front of a federal court in New York to eight charges related to tax and bank fraud, as well as campaign finance violations. The counts stemmed from a probe by New York federal prosecutors following a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller. While addressing the charges, he told the court he had been directed to broker nondisclosure arrangements by Trump.
Daniels is suing Trump in a California federal court, arguing her nondisclosure agreement covering her extramarital relationship with the president more than a decade ago is invalid because Trump never signed it. She is additionally suing Trump and Cohen for defaming her reputation in their defense against her accusations.
Daniels told the tabloid the publicity generated by her case against Trump, perpetuated by her cable-fixture lawyer Michael Avenatti, has had unintended consequences. In March, she hired two bodyguards after receiving a flurry of death threats.
But Daniels said the exposure has given her a platform to help women claiming to have been mistreated by men.
“I’d no idea I would end up standing up for everyone, but it has been a privilege I never expected,” she said. “It’s hard enough to face these powerful people, but to have others place their hope and trust in you is a big deal. I’m not a feminist, I’m just human.”
Daniels also defended first lady Melania Trump, saying she wished people would “stop speaking for her.”
“Maybe she’s happy. Everything we say about her is a projection. Some people misplace sorrow and pity on another person,” she added in reference to the first couple’s marriage. “The entire world would be interested to know what she feels. But if we never know, that is her right and I support it.”
