The adult-film actress Stormy Daniels gave a statement to reporters on Monday after a revealing day in court for Michael Cohen and his lawyers.
- The adult-film actress Stormy Daniels warned Michael Cohen after a revealing day in court on Monday during which new facts emerged in a criminal case against Cohen.
- Daniels said Cohen, who is President Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney, "acted like he is above the law," and "played by a different set of rules."
- "That ends now," she said. Daniels is suing her way out of a nondisclosure agreement between herself, Cohen, and Trump, which included a $130,000 payment from Cohen to Daniels to keep her quiet about a 2006 sexual encounter she says she had with Trump.
- The matter is now intertwined a broader criminal case surrounding Cohen, whose home and office were raided by FBI agents last week.
Stormy Daniels had some stern words for Michael Cohen after a revealing court appearance in a criminal investigation involving Cohen.
Daniels and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, attended the hearing in Manhattan on Monday, but were not part of the day's proceedings. Daniels is suing her way out of a nondisclosure agreement between herself, Cohen, and Trump. The agreement included a $130,000 payment from Cohen to Daniels, in exchange for her silence about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump.
After the hearing, Daniels addressed reporters outside the courtroom:
“Hi everyone. So for years, Mr. Cohen has acted like he is above the law, he has considered himself and openly referred to himself as Mr. Trump’s fixer. He has played by a different set of rules or should we say no rules at all. He has never thought that the little man, or especially women or even more women like me, matter. That ends now. My attorney and I are committed to making sure that everyone finds out the truth and facts of what happened and I give my word that we will not rest until that happens. Thank you very much."
Attorneys representing Cohen and Trump asked a judge for access to files that federal agents confiscated from Cohen during a raid last week. That raid is part of a criminal investigation that focuses in part on Cohen's business dealings in the years before he began working for Trump.
The scope of the investigation could also include Cohen's $130,000 payment to Daniels and a $1.6 million payment to a former Playboy model who accused a top Republican fundraiser of getting her pregnant. Cohen was reportedly paid $250,000 for negotiating that payment, according to CNBC.
Cohen's criminal case is said to include allegations of bank fraud, wire fraud, and violations of campaign finance law.