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Stormy Daniels was ‘physically threatened’ for spilling the beans on Trump: Lawyer

Adult film star and exotic dancer Stormy Daniels was physically threatened and warned to remain silent about her relationship with US President Donald Trump, her lawyer has told US media outlets.

Attorney Michael Avenatti would not elaborate on the the details of the threats against his client Stephanie Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels.

Mr Avenatti said Ms Clifford would reveal all during a CBS 60 Minutes interview to be broadcast in the United States on March 25.

“My client was physically threatened to stay silent about what she knew about Donald Trump,” Mr Avenatti told CNN on Friday.

“She’s going to be able to provide very specific details about what happened here,” Mr Avenatti said, referring to the 60 Minutes interview.

Ms Clifford has alleged she had affair with Mr Trump which they conducted over several months in 2006. Mr Trump has strenuously denied the affair.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the President have claimed in court papers filed by his lawyers on Friday that the actress could be up for damages of at least $US20 million ($26 million) for breaching a confidentiality agreement she had with Mr Trump’s lawyers.

The legal team allege that Ms Clifford has broken the confidentiality agreement at least 20 times.

The New York Times has reported that President Trump’s lawyers filed two motions on Saturday morning (AEDT) in the United States District Court in California in response to Ms Clifford who last week sued to get out of an agreement that she had struck to be paid $US130,000 ($165,000) to keep quiet about the alleged affair.

stormy daniels donald trump affair

A shot of Mr Trump with Ms Clifford around the time of the alleged affair. Photo: Supplied

Mr Trump formally joined his legal team’s request for the case be moved from a state court in Los Angeles, where Ms Clifford filed the claim, to federal court, the Times reported.

As federal courts have stricter arbitration laws, there is speculation Mr Trump’s lawyers may believe they have a better chance of keeping the dispute in arbitration and out of public view if it takes place in a federal court.

In a letter to Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, early last week, Ms Clifford offered to send the $US130,000 to an account nominated by Mr Trump so she could be released from a non-disclosure agreement she signed in October 2016.

Mr Cohen ignored the offer.

Mr Cohen has previously said he paid Ms Clifford $US130,000 of his own money during the 2016 presidential campaign. He did not explain why he made the payment or say whether Mr Trump was aware of it.

In the lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles, Mr Avenatti claims Mr Trump never signed the non-disclosure agreement that his lawyer made with Ms Clifford, claiming that would make it null and void, and making public the agreement and related documents.

Mr Avenatti told Reuters last week that six women had been in touch with his law firm to allege they had relationships with Mr Trump. He said the women had “strikingly similar stories to my client”.

“We’re still in the process of vetting these allegations,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Avenatti told MSNBC and CNN that at least two of the women had signed non-disclosure agreements.

Until now, Mr. Trump had stayed out of the legal dispute, leaving it to Mr Cohen to publicly deny Ms Clifford’s claims.

“And the White House has refused to say how involved Mr Trump had even been in the initial agreement with Ms Clifford, signed in October 2016,” the Times noted.

-with AAP

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