Porn star Stormy Daniels said she’s game to take on former President Donald Trump in yet another legal battle.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she has not been called to testify but volunteered to testify before a Manhattan grand jury as part of a criminal investigation into his business dealings.
“I’ve been very forthcoming since the beginning of all this that I would love nothing more than my day in court and to give a deposition and to provide whatever evidence that they need from me,” Daniels said Monday on CNN.
Stormy Daniels says her attorney has been in contact with New York investigators as part of their investigation into former President Trump and his company.https://t.co/HPA0VU5VQp pic.twitter.com/bQ0uhQ7q8Y
— New Day (@NewDay) June 7, 2021
Daniels said her lawyer, Clark Brewster, has “been in contact” with prosecutors about the possibility of her testimony.
Before the 2016 election, Daniels was paid $130,000 by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair she had with Trump. Trump denies the affair happened. Cohen lost his law license after he pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in 2018 and was sentenced to three years in federal prison in part for campaign finance violations related to the payment. He got out early last year and put into home confinement due to coronavirus concerns.
“I just don’t understand how one man can go to prison for a crime and somebody else can’t even be investigated,” Daniels said.
In a tweet on June 2, Cohen said he was “ready, willing, and able” to cooperate with investigators on any prosecution related to Trump or other officials in the Trump Organization. Cohen added that his willingness to participate would include any needed information related to the hush-money scheme.
In February, weeks before the Supreme Court rejected the porn star’s effort to revive a defamation lawsuit against Trump, Cohen apologized to Daniels for the “needless pain” he caused her.
I remain ready, willing and able to fully cooperate with #SDNY @SDNYnews on any prosecution of #Trump, Weisselberg, etc.. including but not limited to the @StormyDaniels hush money payment scheme directed by and for the benefit of Trump for which I was convicted and sentenced. pic.twitter.com/HrLMRWTdqS
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) June 2, 2021
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has been investigating Trump and his family business for financial crimes for more than two years. Last month, media reports revealed Vance convened a grand jury and that Trump Organization longtime controller Jeffrey McConney was its first employee to testify in front of the grand jury.
Prosecutors are seeking information on whether Trump gave benefits to Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s longtime chief financial officer, and whether any taxes were paid on those perks, the New York Times reported.
Vance’s investigation, which includes a look into the Trump Organization’s finances and a successful legal battle to obtain Trump’s tax returns, recently dovetailed with a separate inquiry by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both are Democrats.
In a statement, Trump reacted to news of the grand jury by assailing what he called “a continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history.”
“This is purely political, and an affront to the almost 75 million voters who supported me in the Presidential Election, and it’s being driven by highly partisan Democrat prosecutors,” Trump said. “Our Country is broken, our elections are rigged, corrupt, and stolen, our prosecutors are politicized, and I will just have to keep on fighting like I have been for the last five years!”
In making a prediction, Daniels also said Trump is “crazy enough” to run again in 2024.
