Have you been aware of a strange sound emanating from the White House over the last week or so? The sound of silence. While Stormy Daniels has been on the CBS Sixty Minutes television show, and her attorney, Michael Avenatti has been making the rounds of the cable talk shows hyping the relationship between Donald Trump and Stormy, The Donald has had nothing to say or tweet about the interaction or the intercourse in the interim. It is very much unlike him to be silent for such a long period about an issue that personally involves him. What is the reason for this? Stormy and Avenatti appear to be out-Trumping Trump.
Obviously, something occurred between Stormy and Trump, or Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen would not have paid her $130,000 to keep quiet and her sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) right before the election. Cohen says the money came from his own pocket which seems unlikely, as attorneys usually do not pay for clients up front. If he did pay and was not reimbursed, it may have been a violation of campaign finance law, far exceeding the amount an individual is allowed to donate to a campaign. If Trump did pay him back, that’s like an admission that a relationship did occur and he wanted to keep it quiet with hush money.
Trump’s legal team is probably advising him to say nothing about the case, but he generally doesn’t listen to his lawyers. However, if he tweets or speaks out, declaring Stormy Daniels a liar and that no relationship occurred between the two of them, that gives her an opportunity to sue him for defamation. That would mean Trump and Michael Cohen could be deposed, which The Donald wants to avoid at all costs. Avenatti is already trying to depose them, but a defamation lawsuit makes it more likely that it would happen.
Another possible reason for the silence is Trump’s relationship with his wife Melania. Thus far, she has not gone to the press or complained about Trump’s philandering while they have been married. But she might feel differently if Trump admitted the affair to the nation, even though Melania undoubtedly knows now that the affair happened. If she is embarrassed enough by his multiple transgressions, would she consider a separation, or even a divorce? Don’t think that’s ever happened to a president while in office. And how would his children feel about his relationship with a porn star?
Trump is also trying to keep the non-disclosure agreement in place. It is surmised that he may have multiple NDAs with multiple women over the years, and if one is overturned, other women may step forward. But most important is resolving the $130,000 paid to Daniels by Cohen which is either a campaign finance violation if it is Cohen’s money, or an admission of guilt if Trump paid Cohen back or told him to pay Stormy in the first place.
Trump is currently in a bind which may be the reason for his unexpected silence on this issue. He’s damned if he speaks out and damned if he remains silent. With Trump’s past behavior, however, at some point he’s likely to open his mouth and what will come out is anyone’s guess. With all the money he has paid (or not paid) for legal help, The Donald seems to have been outmaneuvered by a porn star and her lawyer.
Resurrecting Democracy
www.robertlevinebooks.com
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020