Stormy Daniels's Lawyer Wants Suspicious Activity Report About Trump Silence Agreement
The lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels has requested that a suspicious activity report filed about her nondisclosure agreement payment be released.
Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 just before the 2016 presidential election to stay quiet about the alleged affair in 2006, shortly after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron.
Cohen, who has said that Trump did not know about the arrangement, used a home equity line to make the payment through a shell company to Daniels. Cohen allegedly made the payment to Daniels though First Republic Bank. Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, says the bank filed a suspicious activity report about the payment, and he wants the Treasury Department to hand it over.
“[This will] shed light on [possible] alternative sources of funds,” Avenatti told Newsweek. He added that he believes Cohen may have wanted “to cover up the source of the money.”
Cohen contends that neither Trump nor his campaign reimbursed him for the payment.
Avenatti sent a letter directly to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asking for the report.
“As Secretary of the Treasury, it is well within your authority to release the requested [suspicious activity report] information to allow the public to learn critical information relating to the payment. Indeed, if the payment was made as innocently as Mr. Cohen has suggested, there should be no objection to the prompt release of the [report],” Avenatti wrote.
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Avenatti and Daniels are suing to get out of the nondisclosure agreement, which they have argued is null, in part because Trump did not sign it. Through lawyers, Cohen and Trump are seeking at least $20 million in damages for instances where they believe Daniels has already violated the agreement.
The payment has come under the scrutiny for a possible violation of campaign finance law, and government watchdog group Common Cause has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. If deemed an in-kind contribution to Trump’s campaign, the payment could be illegal because it was over the limit allowed for a direct contribution.
First Republic Bank declined to comment to Newsweek.
