Stormy Daniels is crowdfunding to prepare for legal battle with Trump


Anyone who's ever wanted to help a porn star take down a president now has their shot to chip in.
Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with President Trump in 2006 and received $130,000 at the height of his presidential campaign to stay silent about it, is raising money for her legal fees in anticipation of a lengthy court battle to speak freely about the allegations.
The actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, launched an online crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday and promptly raised more than $30,000. The fundraising effort will help fund "attorneys' fees; out-of-pocket costs associated with the lawsuit, arbitration, and my right to speak openly," Daniels says.
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Daniels is seeking freedom from the nondisclosure agreement she signed with Trump’s attorney in October 2016. Trump has denied that the affair occurred. His attorney, Michael Cohen, at first denied her allegations, then later said he helped "facilitate" the payment. Daniels offered to return the money in exchange for freedom to speak of the alleged affair, but Cohen did not respond before the offer’s Tuesday deadline. The fundraising campaign itself has a longer-term deadline: Donations will be accepted for another 29 days.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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