Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump’s former lawyer offers apology to his alleged former mistress for causing ‘needless pain’ in new podcast

'Both of our stories will be forever linked with Donald Trump, but also with one another ... Thanks for giving me a second chance'

Chris Riotta
New York
Monday 08 February 2021 16:54 GMT
Comments
Related video: Stormy Daniels says she forgives Michael Cohen
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

It’s 2021, so of course the former president’s lawyer and longtime confidant is interviewing his ex-mistress for a new podcast. 

Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to eight counts of criminal tax evasion and campaign finance violations after representing Donald Trump throughout his 2016 campaign, interviewed adult film actress Stormy Daniels for the latest episode of his podcast, titled “Mea Culpa”. 

The two have had a rocky relationship, to say the least: Cohen was sent to federal prison in part thanks to a hush money agreement he arranged with Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Ms Clifford, who meanwhile says she remains engaged in litigation against the former president, previously settled her defamation lawsuit against Cohen.

In excerpts of the conversation released ahead of the full podcast, Cohen apologises to Ms Clifford for the “needless pain” he acknowledges putting her through and says: “Both of our stories will be forever linked with Donald Trump, but also with one another.”

He adds: “Thanks for giving me a second chance."

Ms Clifford describes the alleged sexual encounter she had with Mr Trump as “the worst 90 seconds of my life” during the interview, an hourlong conversation about both her and Cohen’s fallout with the former president. 

At one point, she recalls considering whether she’d be able to “outrun” Mr Trump, though she adds she never felt physically threatened by him. 

“My battle is just now starting,” she says. “People are really upset, and they’re just going to get more pissed off at me.”

Ms Cliffords says she is planning to continue her legal fight against Mr Trump in the podcast, discussing a defamation lawsuit she’s appealed to the US Supreme Court after a judge ordered her to pay nearly $300,000 in attorneys fees to the former president. 

“I’ve already lost everything,” she adds, “so I’m taking it all the way.”

The two discuss everything from Mr Trump’s final days in office, which led to the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, to a Haunted House in New Orleans and the move Bombshell, which apparently triggered memories for Ms Clifford about her alleged affair with the former president. 

The full episode was scheduled for release on Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET. 

Additional reporting by AP

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in