A few thoughts on the Stormy Daniels interview.
1. There was a lot there. But it wasn’t quite all we might have imagined in shock value. I understand there was some identifying characteristics language that may have been left on the cutting room floor.
2. The big takeaway from her account of their relationship was that she quickly asserted a dominant position in her interactions with Trump and maintained that throughout. Some of that you get in the somewhat for laughs spanking encounter. The big point there wasn’t some BDSM thing. It is she showed she wasn’t intimidated by him. Note that in the second encounter after it was clear he had no real news about an Apprentice appearance, she said no to more sex. She’s continued to do that through recent weeks and especially in this interview. Notice the unambiguous statement: she never found him attractive or wanted to sleep with him.
3. Note that Daniels’ then lawyer apparently had much more lucrative offers to tell her story but directed her toward the deal with Michael Cohen. Given that Karen McDougal and Daniels both ended up with the same lawyer, there’s now lots of evidence suggesting that the lawyer, Keith Davidson, was actually in cahoots with Cohen. That’s a big no no in terms of holding on to your license to practice law.
4. Daniels has now put Cohen in a tight legal bind. Most experts think this is a straight up campaign finance violation, perhaps brazen enough to be prosecuted criminally. That seldom happens. But remember that John Edwards was indicted for a similar set of facts in which he was much more tangentially involved. He was acquitted.
5. Finally, the big news. Who threatened Daniels? She made it very clear she could identify the person if she saw him again. No doubt she and her lawyer agreed that she would make that crystal clear. If you know Cohen’s business associates and particularly his past in the Taxi medallion business – strongarming major magnates in that world – you don’t need to have any question about who sent that goon. This is how Cohen operates because it’s how Trump operates.
