a tangled web
Documents show another lawyer tied to Trump was involved in trying to keep Stormy Daniels quiet
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is slowly getting to know every member of President Trump's legal team, with new documents showing that last month, a Trump Organization lawyer signed papers trying to keep Daniels quiet.
Days before the 2016 election, Daniels signed a nondisclosure agreement with Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in exchange for $130,000. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued Trump this month, saying because he didn't sign the NDA, it's invalid, and she's free to discuss the "intimate relationship" they had. Cohen obtained a secret restraining order in private arbitration against Daniels last month, and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, on Wednesday produced two legal papers linked to the order that were signed by Jill A. Martin, an assistant general counsel at the Trump Organization.
Avenatti said Martin's participation in the matter is further proof that Trump knew about the $130,000 payment and nondisclosure agreement. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said that as far as she knows, Trump was never aware of Cohen's deal with Daniels, and Cohen released a statement in February saying "neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly."