REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
A lawyer for Stormy Daniels hinted to NBC’s Today show Wednesday morning that the adult-film actress possibly possessed evidence that a “sexual relationship” between herself and President Trump occurred—and would be willing to return the $130,000 paid to her to nullify a nondisclosure agreement signed days before the 2016 election. When asked by host Savannah Guthrie if Daniels (the stage name for Stephanie Clifford) still had “photos, images, and text messages that verify [her] claim,” lawyer Michael Avenatti responded, “That’s a question that Ms. Daniels will have to ultimately answer... I do know the answer and I’m not at liberty to disclose that this morning.” He added, “We think it’s highly questionable” that the $130,000 paid to Daniels came from Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen’s personal fund. He said “there’s no question” that Trump knew about the payment “at the time,” and “there’s many additional facts and evidence that we have, and we think that’s gonna come to light.” Avenatti said he believed Trump failed to sign the agreement so that he could “claim deniability,” and Daniels “may ultimately return the money... and she’s prepared to do that.” Daniels filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to free her from the “hush agreement.”