# Trump sued by Stormy Daniels over hush payment **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 7, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163 "2018-03-07T02:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/241 "2018-03-21T03:39:13Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Democrats view of Clinton’s morality only changed after it was impossible to deny that he indeed had cheated on his wife, with an intern, and _baldfaced lied_ about it to the public and Congress. And _even then_ almost _half_ saw him as moral. Really? Almost half _still_ said he was “moral”? Not sure about the timing of those polls vis-a-vis stories currently in the news. My interpretation though was that Republican and Democratic responses weren’t entirely dis-similar. Dem characterization of morality dropped from ~75% to ~50%. Repub characterization dropped from ~25% to ~12% or basically in half. (Dems had larger absolute change but lower relative change.) Dem response was surely affected by the clear witch-hunt aspects of the Starr investigation. > [@](#): > > Meanwhile most of the GOP are still in the denial phase. They do not believe she is credible. _Given the hypothetical_ that Trump did have the affair then more than half, 54%, say it would be immoral. Oh I dunno. [Question 6](http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/tabsHPStormyDaniels20180309.pdf) is indeed interesting, but it’s hard to shake off its ridiculousness: 1. Affair immoral If President Trump had an affair with Stormy Daniels, do you think that: … 2016 Vote …Clinton…Trump It is immoral… 86%…51% It is NOT immoral… 7%… 21% Not Sure…8%… 28% It’s hard to give your main street Republican a lot of props when they admit that cheating on your 3rd wife who is pregnant with your child with a pornstar isn’t exactly the behavior of a moral giant. Still 15% of Clinton voters agree with them, so there’s that. Maybe they figure him and Melania have an open marriage, though I suspect it’s closer to a one-sided look the other way relationship. I see that only 27% of Trump voters believe that hush money paid to Stormy, if it occurred, is immoral. Then again, half of all Dems think these allegations, if true, disqualify Trump from serving as President which frankly hadn’t occurred to me. Man, that Huffpo poll is the gift that keeps giving. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/242 "2018-03-21T04:11:22Z")
Of course it’s immoral…duh. Impeachable? Nope, and I’d’ve said the same in 1998. Matter of fact, I did, though none of you were around to hear it (or I wasn’t around here, same difference). Denigrated the dignity of the office, too. But that’s a fruit fly compared to the wholesale destruction of the office Trump is doing. The Orange Dumpling has plenty more to be impeached over, obstruction being just about as plain as it’s possible to be, and very likely a whole lot more. Of course, not a single Republican in the Senate will ever vote for conviction…so 2020 is the only hope. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/243 "2018-03-21T11:25:18Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > It’s hard to give your main street Republican a lot of props when they admit that cheating on your 3rd wife who is pregnant with your child with a pornstar isn’t exactly the behavior of a moral giant. Still 15% of Clinton voters agree with them, so there’s that. Maybe they figure him and Melania have an open marriage, though I suspect it’s closer to a one-sided look the other way relationship. I read those answers as proxies for “Private life, none of our business”, but it would help to have that as an actual option. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/244 "2018-03-21T12:04:56Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Of course it’s immoral…duh. Impeachable? Nope, and I’d’ve said the same in 1998. Yep. It’s like a message board troll who makes up wild-ass stories (move the hyphen if you want) and usually completely ignores the incredulity but vehemently supporting the one story that has _some_ truth to it. Anyone seizing on this and saying that “well, this is exactly the same as Clinton’s situation and you all thought it was great then” are trying to ignore all the rest of the horrible stuff about 45. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/245 "2018-03-21T15:08:59Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Of course it’s immoral…duh. Impeachable? Nope, and I’d’ve said the same in 1998. Let’s start with the payment being made other than directly from Trump, just before the election, which puts it into the class of a campaign finance violation, and pull the string from there. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/246 "2018-03-21T15:40:25Z")
As for immorality, I can think of some ways to answer the “Is this immoral?” question in the negative or unsure: -Dispute the very concept of morality, as some folks have done around here. -Think, “none of my goddamned business.” -Think, “Not in the sphere of morality that matters, i.e., abdicating the duties of a public servant.” -Think, “That’s not what matters here, what matters is legality, so this is a dumb question and I’m not gonna cooperate with it.” -Think, “Goddammit, you’re not gonna trick me into saying something bad about My President, nice try motherfucker!” I don’t know what, exactly, people were thinking, but I’m guessing a lot were along the lines of the last option. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/247 "2018-03-21T15:46:42Z")
Trump has already been given a pass on all things immoral. The only reason Stormy is good news is that trump is clueless in how to handle her. She’s the little ankle biter that won’t go away and that’s a problem when people are watching. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/248 "2018-03-21T20:37:39Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Trump has already been given a pass on all things immoral. The only reason Stormy is good news is that trump is clueless in how to handle her. … That may be what it is. But it’s notable that Trump had no problem saying and tweeting ‘these women are liars’ about the fourteen or so who came forward before the election. So why isn’t he daily saying and tweeting ‘Stormy Daniels is a liar’…? The possibility exists that she has some evidence–presumably safe in some sort of “in the event of my death, publish” arrangement–that he fears. That’s part of why this story has legs, as the saying goes. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/249 "2018-03-21T23:12:14Z")
I don’t think [this has been posted](https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2018/03/08/how-stormy-danielss-connection-to-rahm-emanuel-could-help-bring-down-trump) yet. How Stormy Daniels’s connection to Rahm Emanuel could help bring down Trump > [@Chicago Reader](#): > > This goes back to the early 90s when Rahm ran a firm called the Research Group and was making a name for himself as a ferociously persistent political fund-raiser who did things like send a dead fish to an adversary along with a hand-written note that said: “It’s been awful working with you. Love, Rahm.” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/250 "2018-03-22T00:15:52Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > … saying that “well, this is exactly the same as Clinton’s situation and you all thought it was great then” are trying to ignore all the rest of the horrible stuff about 45. As I am the one here who made the Clinton comparison, I’d like to be very clear. I am not ignoring any of the other horrible stuff about 45. I think those are the things to focus on. The salacious gets attention but the affair itself at least has nothing to do with why he is unqualified to be president, an embarrassment to our country, and what crimes I believe he will be found to have committed. Of course crimes committed in service of cover-up are crimes, so … > [@pdhenry](#): > > Let’s start with the payment being made other than directly from Trump, just before the election, which puts it into the class of a campaign finance violation, and pull the string from there. Yes. But I do not need to hear about (or worse yet, see) the details of the affair, be it spanking with Forbes, or water sports, or just her acting like she’s having a good time, for that. **MfM** you do appreciate that about half of Democrats (some of whom never voted for Clinton) also felt that Clinton was moral given having had an affair and having lied to both the public and to Congress under oath about it, don’t you? Why? Because he hit other morality boxes, ones that counted in his role - such as empathy and so on, and those mattered to them _more_ than his sexual mores and lack of ethics regarding his sexual life. For Trump voters it aint empathy that matters more, but he does check other items of “moral” importance to them. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/251 "2018-03-22T00:46:49Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > That may be what it is. But it’s notable that Trump had no problem saying and tweeting ‘these women are liars’ about the fourteen or so who came forward before the election. So why isn’t he daily saying and tweeting ‘Stormy Daniels is a liar’…? > > The possibility exists that she has some evidence–presumably safe in some sort of “in the event of my death, publish” arrangement–that he fears. That’s part of why this story has legs, as the saying goes. Random groping is all just “he said, she said” stuff. Stormy not only has evidence of the relationship, but the deal with her also causes issues with campaign financing laws. Personally, I’m betting that Cohen takes all of the heat and allows himself to get disbarred. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/252 "2018-03-22T01:32:13Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Random groping is all just “he said, she said” stuff. > > Stormy not only has evidence of the relationship, but the deal with her also causes issues with campaign financing laws. > > Personally, I’m betting that Cohen takes all of the heat and allows himself to get disbarred. My understanding is that Cohen is stupid rich himself, and he doesn’t really practice law as much as he acts as Trump’s consigliere and fixer. So being disbarred may not be much of a punishment for him. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/253 "2018-03-22T11:48:58Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > on MSNBC her lawyer basically said they have dick pics of Trump That part has been assigned to Small Claims Court. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/254 "2018-03-22T12:06:30Z")
playboy model suing Trump will be on CNN tonight at 8. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/255 "2018-03-22T15:23:25Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > on MSNBC her lawyer basically said they have dick pics of Trump You know why I believe that? Trump has ignored, other than denying, countless claims by women that he is a groping maniac. Now, of all those women, ONE has something he’s afraid of. Probably the same thing Putin has. A picture of his little trumpet. And my gawd, for a megalomaniac narcissistic prick, having a picture of your little penor on the internet would be quite a blow. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/256 "2018-03-22T15:31:37Z")
To anyone who sees it, certainly. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/257 "2018-03-22T15:36:52Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You know why I believe that? Trump has ignored, other than denying, countless claims by women that he is a groping maniac. Now, of all those women, ONE has something he’s afraid of. Probably the same thing Putin has. A picture of his little trumpet. And my gawd, for a megalomaniac narcissistic prick, having a picture of your little penor on the internet would be quite a blow. This suggestion is lurid, unsubstantiated, wildly speculative and emphatically plausible. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/258 "2018-03-22T15:39:21Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You know why I believe that? Trump has ignored, other than denying, countless claims by women that he is a groping maniac. Now, of all those women, ONE has something he’s afraid of. Probably the same thing Putin has. A picture of his little trumpet. And my gawd, for a megalomaniac narcissistic prick, having a picture of your little penor on the internet would be quite a blow. So delivering that blow is job one? Seriously, while I am happy to have him humiliated in any way, I’d rather it be for the many reasons of substance than pics of the the huge prick having a tiny one. Covering up the affair by illegal means, sure, fair game that, but revenge porn as a political weapon really should be off limits even as a tool against this tool. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/259 "2018-03-22T15:39:38Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You know why I believe that? Trump has ignored, other than denying, countless claims by women that he is a groping maniac. Now, of all those women, ONE has something he’s afraid of. Probably the same thing Putin has. A picture of his little trumpet. And my gawd, for a megalomaniac narcissistic prick, having a picture of your little penor on the internet would be quite a blow. Actually, my guess is that it’s chatsex or video of Mistress Stormy administering scoldings/spankings/etc. Submissiveness to a woman would hurt him pretty badly with the followers who are attracted to his “alpha male” image and his pushback against civilized norms aka “political correctness”. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163/260 "2018-03-22T16:54:35Z")
\*That brings the Steele dossier — yes, this is the document alleging the existence of a “pee tape” that the Russians may have used to blackmail Trump \* > **[The Steele dossier on Trump and Russia, explained](https://www.vox.com/2018/1/5/16845704/steele-dossier-russia-trump)** > > Republican senators want the author of the "pee tape" document arrested. I’m thinking this may explain the tangerine glow we’ve all seen and commented on. Russia has something, could it be this “golden?” Is it trump’s turn to be the victim of false news? I’m okay with that, once he’s removed we’ll apologize for our haste and, what the hell, no we won’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-sued-by-stormy-daniels-over-hush-payment/810163.md?page=14)