Stormy Daniels' interview with Michael Cohen prosecutors canceled, Daniels' lawyer says

WASHINGTON — Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had an affair with Donald Trump and was paid to keep quiet about it, was to sit down for an interview Monday with the federal prosecutors investigating his lawyer Michael Cohen, according to a person close to the probe.

The interview, first reported by The Washington Post, was to take place in New York, said the source who requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

But late Sunday, Michael Avenatti, Daniels’ lawyer, tweeted that the meeting was off.

“So I was just informed by the US Attys office that they are canceling the mtg tmrw scheduled with me and my client (for weeks) because the press found out about the mtg and they can’t handle a few cameras outside their offices. If they consider this a big deal, how will they ever bring any serious criminal charges against Cohen et al., let alone handle a trial, in such a high profile matter? We have bent over backwards to accommodate them. This is unheard of. We remain willing to cooperate but something isn’t right…”

So I was just informed by the US Attys office that they are canceling the mtg tmrw scheduled with me and my client (for weeks) because the press found out about the mtg and they can’t handle a few cameras outside their offices. If they consider this a big deal, how will they…

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 25, 2018

Cohen has not been charged with a crime, but he has been the subject of a months-long criminal investigation that burst into public view when the FBI raided his home and offices in April. Investigators are examining his business dealings as well as potential campaign-finance violations. 

Cohen has acknowledged paying $130,000 to Daniels weeks before the 2016 presidential election. In a recent financial report with government ethics officials President Trump said he repaid Cohen.

Trump has denied the affair, which Daniels said occurred in 2006.

Attempts to reach federal prosecutors in New York were unsuccessful Sunday afternoon. Cohen and his attorney did not immediately respond to interview requests.

Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, and Avenatti have cooperated with prosecutors. They also are suing Cohen and Trump in an effort to break free of the confidentiality agreement with Cohen in exchange for the $130,000.

A federal judge is California, however, has put Daniels’ lawsuit on hold, as the criminal investigation unfolds in New York.

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Adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels speaks outside US Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (R) in Lower Manhattan, New York on April 16, 2018.Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims to have had a consensual sexual encounter with Donald Trump a decade ago, said April 17, 2018 that she is pursuing legal action against the president because she is “done being bullied.””I’m tired of being threatened, intimidating me, and trying to say that you’ll ruin my life and take all my money and my house,” Daniels said on ABC’s “The View.””I’m done being bullied,” Daniels said of legal threats from Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen, who is now embroiled in his own legal troubles.”I’m done,” Daniels said. 
EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ, AFP/GETTY IMAGES
In this courtroom sketch, Joanna Hendon, right, one of President Donald Trump’s lawyers, speaks as the president’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, left, sits next to one of his own attorneys Todd Harrison, center, with porn star Stormy Daniels visible in the audience between Cohen and Harrison, during a federal court hearing in New York, April 16, 2018. Attorneys for Cohen and Trump tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood to delay prosecutors from examining records and electronic devices seized in the raids on the grounds that many of them are protected by attorney-client privilege. 
ELIZABETH WILLIAMS VIA AP
Michael Cohen, an attorney for Donald Trump, arrives in Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 16, 2016. Stormy Daniels, the porn star whom President Donald Trump’s personal attorney acknowledged paying $130,000 just before Election Day, believes she is now free to discuss her alleged sexual encounter with Trump, her manager xtold The Associated Press Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, believes that Cohen invalidated a non-disclosure agreement after two news stories: One, in which Cohen told The New York Times that he made the six-figure payment with his personal funds, and another in the Daily Beast, which reported that Cohen was shopping a book proposal that would touch on Daniels’ story, said the manager, Gina Rodriguez.  
Richard Drew, AP

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