New York federal prosecutors have canceled a meeting with adult film actress Stormy Daniels reportedly arranged to discuss the $130,000 payment she received from Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, after details were leaked to the press.
Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ attorney, wrote about the development on Twitter late Sunday, questioning how prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York would handle bringing “any serious criminal charges against Cohen” given the intense media interest in the case.
“So I was just informed by the US Attys office that they are canceling the mtg tmrw scheduled with me and my client (for weeks) because the press found out about the mtg and they can’t handle a few cameras outside their offices,” Avenatti tweeted.
“We have bent over backwards to accommodate them. This is unheard of. We remain willing to cooperate but something isn’t right,” he continued.
So I was just informed by the US Attys office that they are canceling the mtg tmrw scheduled with me and my client (for weeks) because the press found out about the mtg and they can’t handle a few cameras outside their offices. If they consider this a big deal, how will they…
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 25, 2018
ever bring any serious criminal charges against Cohen et al., let alone handle a trial, in such a high profile matter? We have bent over backwards to accommodate them. This is unheard of. We remain willing to cooperate but something isn’t right…
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 25, 2018
Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, was expected to be interviewed ahead of a potential grand jury appearance regarding the money she was paid days before the 2016 election in exchange for keeping quiet about an alleged sexual encounter she had with Trump more than a decade ago, according to the Washington Post.
Trump and the White House have denied the extramarital affair. Rudy Giuliani — a member of Trump’s outside legal counsel — has acknowledged that the president reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels.
Cohen has not been charged with a crime, but investigators are probing whether he committed bank and wire fraud or broke any campaign finance laws.
As part of their investigation, the FBI raided Cohen’s office and home after receiving a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller. The raids reportedly targeted communications between Cohen and Trump.
Daniels has filed a lawsuit against Trump in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, arguing her nondisclosure agreement with him is invalid because Trump never signed it. She is also suing Trump and Cohen for defaming her reputation in their defense against her accusations.
