According to an explosive report by The Wall Street Journal, only a month before the 2016 election, Michael Cohen, the personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, paid $130,000 to Louisiana native and adult-film star Stormy Daniels to keep her silent over a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006.

“Michael Cohen, who spent nearly a decade as a top attorney at the Trump Organization, arranged payment to the woman, Stephanie Clifford, in October 2016 after her lawyer negotiated the nondisclosure agreement with Mr. Cohen, these people said,” the paper reported. “Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels, has privately alleged the encounter with Mr. Trump took place after they met at a July 2006 celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, these people said. Mr. Trump married Melania Trump in 2005.”

Both Trump and Clifford (a.k.a. Daniels) have publicly denied the affair.

Among Louisiana politicos, Stormy Daniels is perhaps best-known for announcing that she was considering a run against David Vitter for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Daniels ultimately decided not to enter the campaign.

When Daniels was contemplating her candidacy, she was arrested for domestic violence in Florida, and her campaign aide’s vehicle was fire-bombed outside of his apartment in New Orleans. “It’s something out of The Sopranos,” University of New Orleans professor Ed Chervenak said at the time.

###

The Bayou Brief is a non-profit news publication that relies 100% on donations from our readers. Help support independent journalism about the stories of Louisiana through a monthly or one-time donation by clicking here.