Stormy Daniels lawyer says she may file new claim against Trump

Stormy Daniels’s lawyer Michael Avenatti said Friday that the adult-film star may file a new claim or lawsuit against President Trump for libel.

During an interview on CNN, Avenatti referenced Trump having shared a tweet about a sketch of a man whom Daniels claims threatened her for discussing her alleged affair with the president, referring to it as a “con job.”

A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)! https://t.co/9Is7mHBFda

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018 

“He called my client a con or suggested that she lied to the American people,” Avenatti said Friday on CNN. “We may be bringing that claim shortly.”

{mosads}

The lawyer first publicly suggested earlier this month that Daniels could file a defamation lawsuit against Trump over the tweet.

Avenatti made his comments shortly after a judge on Friday ordered a 90-day stay on Daniels’s lawsuit against Trump and his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen.

U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero ordered the stay over a criminal investigation into Cohen, saying there could be overlap between the two cases.

Avenatti quickly promised to appeal the stay.

While we certainly respect Judge Otero’s 90 day stay order based on Mr. Cohen’s pleading of the 5th, we do not agree with it. We will likely be filing an immediate appeal to the Ninth Circuit early next week. Justice delayed is justice denied. #basta

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 27, 2018

He also said on CNN that the stay could be extended beyond the three-month period.

“We don’t know how long that’s going to take and we just don’t want to be on ice during the interim time period,” Avenatti said.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing Trump to formally void the nondisclosure agreement she signed shortly before the 2016 election that she says was used as part of an effort to keep her from discussing an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

The actress argues the deal is void because Trump didn’t sign the document.

She is also suing Cohen for defamation for suggesting that she’s lying about the alleged affair.

Cohen announced this week that he would plead the Fifth Amendment in the lawsuit.