The confidentiality deal that Stormy Daniels signed, agreeing to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Donald Trump, refers to “images” that the adult video star may have in her possession. In a televised interview on Wednesday, Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti hinted that those “images” could include an actual “sex tape,” a video recording of Trump and Daniels engaged in sexual relations.
Avenatti, in the interview , added that if Trump denies that the affair with Daniels took place, he has the ability to “100 percent” prove those denials to be false. But he refused to say if his “100 percent” proof included a sex tape or other visual image of Trump and Daniels engaged in intimate contact.
On Monday, Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — and Avenatti made an offer to Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, saying that Daniels would return the $130,000 “hush money” payment she received from Cohen just days before the 2016 presidential election, if Trump and Cohen agreed to allow her to speak freely about the affair without legal repercussions.
The offer document sent by Avenatti also said that Daniels should have the legal right to “use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the President that she may have in her possession.”
Watch Avenatti’s interview with Nicole Wallace of MSNBC, in which he hints at the existence of a Trump-Daniels sex tape, in the video below.
“Is there a sex tape?” Wallace asks Avenatti in the interview . “You said it’s not just words, it’s not just her interview. What else is there?”
After Wallace asks him the question a second time, Avenatti responds, “I’m not going to answer that.” But Wallace persists, then asking the lawyer if there “could” be a sex tape of Trump and Daniels.
“There could be, might be, would be, could be,” Avenatti replies. “Who knows?” When Avenatti then asserts that he can “100 percent” disprove any denials that the affair took place, Wallace asks about the possible sex tape one more time.
“One hundred percent with videos and texts and images?” Wallace asks.
“I applaud your efforts,” Avenatti quips. “No comment.”
The possibility that a Trump-Daniels sex tape exists has also been the subject of late-night comedians’ speculation ever since the scandal over the alleged affair as hush money payment first became public in January. ABC TV host Jimmy Kimmel joked about the existence of such a tape at that time, and earlier this week CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert also played the possible existence of a sex tape for laughs, showing his audience a Photoshopped version of what a pornographic video of Trump and Daniels might look like if the tape were for sale.
See Colbert’s version of the hypothetical Trump-Daniels sex tape by visiting this link .
The possible existence of an embarrassing video recording may explain why Trump, through Cohen, has appeared especially determined to prevent Daniels from publicly discussing the affair, which allegedly occurred in 2006 and 2007. Trump could face more legal trouble from the attempt to hush Daniels than from the original affair, in which no illegal conduct has so far been alleged, according to legal experts.
Even Russia investigation Special Counsel Robert Mueller could take an interest in the hush money payment made to Daniels, experts say. Mueller is authorized to investigate any and all possibly illegal financial dealings in which Trump engaged.
“This is well within Mueller’s wheelhouse,” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said this week. “Mueller could seek answers about the payment.”