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Fact Check-Statement by Stormy Daniels denying relations with Donald Trump dates to 2018

A 2018 letter by adult film star Stormy Daniels denying sexual relations with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump is circulating online by users who believe it to be new in March 2023. Daniels confirmed that the letter dates to 2018 and has also said over the years she was coerced into writing the letter.

One post (here) reads, “Trump just dropped a bombshell letter from Stormy Daniels debunking the case! Sorry Democrats.”

The posts (here) and (here) are circulating amid news that a Manhattan grand jury could bring charges against Trump over alleged hush money payments made to Daniels during his 2016 presidential election campaign (here).

Reuters reported that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been presenting evidence about a $130,000 payment made to Daniels in 2016 about sexual relations she says took place with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied the affair took place (here).

One post reads, “Trump just shared a bombshell letter from Stormy Daniels debunking DA Bragg’s case!!”

Daniels responded to the letter circulating in these tweets (here) on March 24 saying, “This is the statement Cohen wrote. It is old news from early 2018 before I came forward. I think it's HYSTERICAL that tiny is trying to spin this as some kind of new information. There's a clip of this from the @jimmykimmel show& I discuss it in my book "Full Disclosure”.”

The letter circulating online (here) shows it is dated Jan. 30, 2018.

An excerpt from Daniels’ book Full Disclosure, which was published in October 2018, where she discusses being pressured into writing the letter can be seen (here).

Daniels also talked about the letter in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on Jan. 31, 2018 (here) and in a 60 Minutes interview on Aug. 22, 2018 (here).

VERDICT

Missing context. The letter in which adult film star Stormy Daniels denied having an affair with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump was published in January 2018. Daniels has previously said she was coerced into writing the letter.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work  here  .         

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