President Donald Trump weighed in on a composite sketch of the man who adult film star Stormy Daniels says physically threatened her in a parking lot seven years ago seeking to silence her over accusations she had an affair with Trump.
The president’s verdict: “Total 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)!” Trump said in a Twitter posting early Wednesday.
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
The president’s opinion of the sketch was pinned to a retweet of a Scottish woman’s posting that features a photo of Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — with her ex-husband Glendon Crain and pointing out how “awkward’’ it was that the man in the sketch bears a sharp resemblance to Crain. Twitter users also suggested the sketch resembles Tom Brady, quarterback for the NFL’s New England Patriots.
Daniels claims she had sex with Trump in 2006 and took a $130,000 hush payment from his lawyer Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 election. She has recounted a 2011 episode in Las Vegas in which an unidentified man physically threatened her while she was with her young daughter if she revealed the affair.
While Trump has proven a prolific user of Twitter since taking office, he’s largely steered clear of attacking Clifford herself, as well as Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who’s also claimed to have conducted an affair with Trump. He’s instead targeted the media for sharp criticisms during the past 14 months.