Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Donald Trump May Have to Go Under Oath in the Stormy Daniels Case

Donald Trump May Have to Go Under Oath in the Stormy Daniels Case
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

That should end well for him.

In a motion filed Wednesday morning in federal court, Stephanie Gregory Clifford's attorney Michael Avenatti requested permission to depose President Donald Trump and his private attorney Michael Cohen. Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, alleges the president and she engaged in a  sexual encounter in 2006 while he was married to Melania Trump. Then, in 2016 Trump paid her to keep quiet about it.

The motion defines the president and his private attorney's deposition as a period "of no greater than two hours" in duration and about a non-disclosure agreement Clifford signed 11 days before the 2016 election in scope.


Cohen paid Clifford $130,000 at that time. The deposition intends to determine if the president had a role in the payoff for Clifford's silence about the extramarital affair.

In an interview with CBS This Morning, Avenatti said once they "get to the bottom of this" they will prove America was told "a bucket of lies" by the president and his attorney.

We want to know the truth about what the president knew, when he knew it and what he did about it as it relates to this agreement. We're gonna test the veracity or the truthfulness of Mr. Cohen's, his attorney's, statements."

Avenatti feels confident of approval for their request for a deposition based on legal precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court during the Clinton administration.

"It is well founded, it was well thought out, it's incredibly documented," Avenatti remarked. "It's well supported by the law and we're confident in the motion."

The motion refers to Bill Clinton v. Paula Jones where the Supreme Court concluded

the Constitution does not offer a sitting President significant protections from potentially distracting civil litigation."

"The Supreme Court already decided that a sitting president can be deposed in connection with a civil matter and if that was the law then, it certainly is the law now, it hasn't been overturned," Avenatti said.

In regards to the need for a deposition with both Trump and Cohen, Avenatti stated, "We raised this motion with the other side and I think one of the things that was significant during that meeting was we asked Mr. Harder, Mr. Trump's attorney, whether Mr. Trump was a party to this agreement and we heard crickets."

They don't know. He said they don't know yet whether Mr. Trump was a party to this agreement. How do you not know whether you're a party to an agreement unless you're just trying to make it up as you go along."

The full motion, 31 pages long, can be viewed in its entirety below. According to the filing, a hearing is set for April 30, 2018.

More from People/donald-trump

Cover of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

People's Response To Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word Of The Year Just Proved Their Point

Merriam-Webster dictionary nailed it with their 2024 Word of the Year selection that accurately defined the divisive reaction to the 2024 presidential election results.

The dictionary's account on X (formerly Twitter) declared this year's Word of the Year was, "Polarization," and joked:

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Nancy Mace Rages After Nobody Will Print Her Transphobic Holiday Wrapping Paper Design

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was called out after sharing a photo of her anti-trans wrapping paper design to lament that "no company" would print it due to its "offensive" nature.

Mace, who has courted significant controversy for her efforts to bar Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from using the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity, shared on social media that she attempted to create custom wrapping paper, seemingly intended for raising campaign funds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eugenio Derbez; Selena Gomez
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images

'Coda' Star Apologizes After Selena Gomez's Classy Response To His 'Emilia Pérez' Criticism

Actor Eugenio Derbez walked back his harsh review of Selena Gomez's Spanish in the new musical crime comedy film Emilia Pérez after she responded with class to the tough criticism of not being a fluent speaker.

Gomez stars as Spanish-speaking character Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel kingpin who undergoes gender-affirming surgery to start a new life as the titular Emilia Pérez.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
NBC

Trump Dragged After Claiming He 'Started Using' The Word 'Groceries' During The Election

President-elect Donald Trump was dragged after claiming he "started using" the word "groceries" during the election—before asking, "Who uses the word?"

Trump, in an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, emphasized the soaring grocery prices affecting millions of Americans as a pivotal factor in his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
man pointing up
Alex Sheldon on Unsplash

People Break Down Their 'I F*cking Knew It!' Experiences

Sometimes you feel like you just know something is true, even if you can't prove it.

You may find out you're completely wrong. People usually don't like to talk about or acknowledge when that happens.

Keep ReadingShow less