LOS ANGELES — Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti asked the U.S Treasury Department today to share information regarding the $130,000 payment made to the adult superstar as part of a nondisclosure agreement over her alleged affair with President Trump.
Avenatti requested a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) on Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s payment to Daniels. First Republic Bank, which Cohen used to make the payment, reportedly filed a SAR with the Treasury Department last month.
Cohen’s agreement with Daniels was “made for the purpose of circumventing federal election law and thus ‘void,’” Avenatti said in a letter that was publicly shared on Twitter via Dropbox.
Previously, Cohen said he made the payment to Daniels using his own money and that Trump had no idea about it. The lawyer said he was never repaid by Trump or the Trump organization.
Avenatti in the letter said that the request was a critical part of his investigations and therefore “not shielded by SAR privilege” of confidentiality.
He also said the $130,000 payment “constituted an ‘in-kind’ campaign contribution to Trump. Fair elections group Common Cause previously called the payment a violation of federal election law.
This afternoon, Avenatti tweeted, “This report may show the money trail and disprove the claims of Mr. Cohen.”
Daniels sued Cohen to be released from the nondisclosure agreement she signed in 2016 in exchange for $130,000 as part of a "hush" agreement.
Daniels previously said she and Trump had sex once in 2006, and that they kept in touch for a period of time. The White House has denied that Trump had sex with Daniels.
Pictured: Michael Avenatti with Stormy Daniels
Email sent. If you wish to send to another person, click here.
