Have you watched the Saturday Night Live in which Stormy Daniels trolls Donald Trump? It’s hilarious and even a bit cruel. The rumors around this scandal continue to emerge – it’s like a giant snowball. But okay, we know what ordinary people and yellow press think about all this – then, what do the reputable attorneys and journalists say?
We have – on the one side, we've got the President's attorneys and the President with their three stories, Sarah Sanders has her own version, you mix them all up – maybe they come up with one. You've got on the other side, Stormy Daniels who was on Saturday Night Live last night, staying in front of the cameras now, a pop-culture feature herself. Let's watch a portion of that performance.
Michael Cohen: Stormy, this is Michael Cohen. Are you alone?
Stormy Daniels: Yes.
Donald Trump: And what are you wearing?
Stormy Daniels: Excuse me?
Donald Trump: Okay, Michael. I can take it from here.
Michael Cohen: Okay, but, as your attorney, I highly advise against you…
Donald Trump: So, what up, girl?
Stormy Daniels: Hello, Donald.
Donald Trump: Come on, Stormy. Stop making such a big deal about this – everyone knows it's just an act.
Stormy Daniels: I work in adult films. We're not really known for acting.
Donald Trump: Just tell me what do you need for this to all go away.
Stormy Daniels: A resignation.
Donald Trump: A re… Being president is like doing porn – once you do it, it's hard to do anything else.
So, Brian, it appears that the American people are not punishing the President for the actual alleged affair. So, what's the impact of of stormy Daniels being on television, on SNL? Is she having some impact here?
Brian Stelter, Senior Media Correspondent: Well, she's become one of the most effective thorns in his side. When you think about some of the top opponents to Trump, they get a lot of attention. There's some lawmakers, yeah, but it's actually people like Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti – go figure, who thought we would have been here 16 months into the Trump’s presidency. I think what Rudy said, though, about the Sorrentino’s payment just doesn't add up. He said last night, this payment would have been made whether Trump was running for president or not. But we all know this alleged affair happened more than a decade ago. And it was because Stormy Daniels was getting calls from media outlets, and thinking about speaking out only a couple of weeks before the campaign ended that she was paid at that time. So, the idea that this would have happened, this payment would have been made regardless of the campaign – it just doesn't make sense. And if I can have one more point about Rudy, you know, it's Stormy Daniels – yeah, it's a sex scandal, it's a payment scandal, fine – Rudy's also out there on national television talking about the Americans that are being held in North Korea. He has said repeatedly they're about to be released. On Thursday, he said they're being released today. And then, they haven't been released yet, according to the US government. Again last night, he said, hopefully soon. Why is the President's personal lawyer on national television is talking about a really critical, delicate national security matter? It just boggles the mind.
This was a conversation we had in the last hour. What's his job description? I mean he was wrong, obviously, on Thursday, saying that the detainees would be released.
Brian Stelter: Today. And, hopefully, he'll be right this time. But God forbid this make the delicate situation any worse.
And, Mark, let me come to you for one final one. And pick up what Brian said there from the show last night Giuliani went on to say, “Even if this was a campaign donation, the President reimbursed it fully with a payment of $35,000 a month to pay off that and other expenses, and he says that wouldn't be a violation either”. Is that accurate?
Mark O’Mara, Criminal Defense Attorney: Well, I think we did just past his prime quite honestly and, taking you on the massive amount of information he had to absorb, he should have hushed up. He had an opportunity to sort of come on scene maybe and be a reasoned voice. What he said last night to me was more problematic – he came out and sort of doubled down and said, again, what he did, he would have done anyway. Incredibly untrue and coincidental if it was true. And then he said, it was for this reason, it wasn't a campaign reason, it was a campaign reason, it wasn't a retainer… I take retainers. You don't take retainers for other purposes and then come in afterwards and sort of sweep them all together and say: “Now it makes sense”. You don't have an opportunity to do that and, my God, you never go on national TV and discuss that type of information as a lawyer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAMyWGMQ2P0
