Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP
Stormy Daniels.
- Porn star Stormy Daniels, in her upcoming book "Full Disclosure," provided an in-depth explanation for why she signed a $130,000 non-disclosure agreement to stay silent about her allegation of an affair with then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
- It was out of fear for her safety, she wrote, fears that the agreement helped calm.
- "I won't be defined by Donald f---ing Trump, and I won't be branded a gold digger," she wrote. "And they can't murder me."
Porn star Stormy Daniels, in her upcoming book "Full Disclosure," provided an in-depth explanation for why she signed the original $130,000 non-disclosure agreement prior to the 2016 presidential election that silenced her from discussing her allegation of a 2006 affair with Donald Trump.
That revelation of the hush money payment ended up leading to the conviction of President Trump's former longtime lawyer Michael Cohen - who facilitated the payment - amid a campaign-finance controversy that surrounded both he and Trump. Now, Trump and Cohen say they won't enforce that agreement after months of public scrutiny and Daniels filing a lawsuit to void the deal.
In "Full Disclosure," which Business Insider obtained ahead of its release, Daniels said she was approached by a friend in August 2016 who warned her that if she didn't come forward with her story, operatives close to Trump could have her killed in an effort to make sure the story never saw the light of day. If she did come forward publicly, then political operatives hypothetically killing her off would be much more difficult, because then the public would know of her ties to Trump.
"If you died tonight, no one would be like, Donald Trump or the Republicans did it," Daniels recalled the unnamed friend telling her. "But now you're their problem. They are going to go through your closet, find his skeletons, and get rid of them. ... This is a real thing Stormy. Think of your family."
The person insisted that the "only way" for her family to be safe would be if she came forward with her story.
She wrote that this terrified her, and she soon went down a "rabbit hole" of political conspiracies, starting with those surrounding the death of actress Marilyn Monroe, who was rumored to have had an affair with former President John F. Kennedy.
"If there's a mistress who died suspiciously, I read about it, and each one, no matter how far-fetched, fed my fears," Daniels wrote.
That fear led her to schedule a pre-election interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" to discuss her claims of an affair with Trump. She wrote that, at the time, she still hadn't even discussed the story with her then-husband.
Shortly after that, she was contacted by attorney Keith Davidson, who represented Playboy model Karen McDougal in her arrangement with The National Enquirer. That outlet purchased McDougal's story of a 2006 affair with Trump for $150,000 only to never publish the account, effectively silencing her. Davidson would initially represent Daniels in her dealings with Cohen.
Davidson made Daniels aware that Cohen was prepared to offer her $130,000 in exchange for her silence.
She thought that would ensure her safety. Plus, she thought, she wouldn't have to make her husband aware of her allegations involving Trump. A huge win, in her mind.
"I got to stay in my home with my daughter and do the work that I love," she wrote. "I won't be defined by Donald f---ing Trump, and I won't be branded a gold digger. And they can't murder me. And I don't have to tell" her husband, she rationalized.
Daniels wrote that she didn't know how Cohen and Davidson arrived at $130,000 as the amount, and at the time, she said she wasn't concerned. She was "too concerned about her safety" to push Davidson for more information related to the price.
"This was about putting all this behind me confidentially and never having to worry about Trump coming after me or my family," she wrote.