On Friday, a bombshell development in Donald Trump’s case with Stormy Daniels was released, in which lawyer Michael Cohen and Trump stated they were no longer interested in enforcing the non-disclosure agreement they had with Daniels to hide her affair with Trump.
This new development was related to Trump claiming that the “hush” deal was never valid to begin with, as Trump’s lawyers claimed in a federal court filing over the weekend that the agreement where Daniels was paid $130,000 “was never formed, or in the alternative, should be rescinded.” Cohen’s attorney, Brent Blakely, stated that Daniels should return the money to Cohen since she did not stay silent:
Today, Essential Consultants LLC and Michael Cohen have effectively put an end to the lawsuits filed against them by Stephanie Clifford aka Stormy Daniels. The rescission of the Confidential Settlement Agreement will result in Ms. Clifford returning to Essential Consultants the $130,000 she received in consideration, as required by California law.”
The filing also requests that Daniels drop Trump from the lawsuit in an attempt to void the deal. However, if Trump wasn’t part of the deal, why did he and Cohen go through so much trouble to try and sue Daniels for $20 million so she’d abide by a deal that wasn’t valid?
That’s exactly what Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, pointed out as he exposed Trump and Cohen for their attempts to shut down the case today. Avenatti has shot back, stating that this move by Trump and his team “reflects a profoundly troubling reality.” On Monday, Avenatti came out swinging against Trump as he filed a motion to fight the case’s dismissal. As Cohen’s federal legal issues have prevented the case from moving forward, Avenatti is arguing that the case should proceed now that Cohen has pleaded guilty to his federal crimes. Avenatti said:
[N]ow that Mr. Cohen has admitted to his crimes under oath before the district judge in the Southern District of New York, there is no substantive justification for putting this case on hold. A myriad of litigation activities may occur in this case that would not disturb what remains of Mr. Cohen’s Fifth Amendment rights.”
Avenatti called Trump and Cohen out for having a “sudden desire to escape having to defend this action,” calling it a “profoundly troubling reality.” Avenatti explained exactly how Trump lied:
Defendants have been shamelessly deceiving this Court and the American public for more than six months. Plaintiff does not make this claim lightly; it is based on the following undisputed facts. Beginning in February of 2018, Michael Cohen and Mr. Trump, along with their attorneys and surrogates, instituted a coordinated campaign to intimidate and bully Ms. Clifford into silence.”
Avenatti also said that said that the arbitration action filed by Trump’s legal team is now “bogus and completely lacking any factual or good faith basis.” He blasted the defendants for being “so confident” that they could get millions from Daniels, only to back out. Avenatti argued that the recent actions of Trump and his legal team to tear up the hush money agreement prove that it was “all premised on a giant lie.” Avenatti tore into Trump and Cohen for giving U.S. District of Court for the Central District of California the runaround for 6 months with their lies:
[They led] this Court to believe for six months that they had a good faith basis to assert that the Settlement Agreement was a valid contract, that it was not illegal, and that it had nothing to do with Mr. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The Court cannot simply allow Defendants to exit the case without facing any true consequences or a meaningful inquiry into the truth. The public interest in continuing with this case is self-evident.”
Ouch. This was one response that Trump and his team are nowhere near ready to address — because Avenatti is right. Things are starting to unravel for Trump, and his attempts to back out of his own lies are failing him.
Featured image via screen capture
