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title: Stormy Daniels is Willing to Return $130,000 Hush Money
description: According to a report in the New York Times, Daniels will return the $130,000 by Friday if both parties agree to her terms
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article:published_time: 2018-03-12T16:17:54.000Z
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# Stormy Daniels Is Willing to Return the $130,000 She Got Paid to Keep Quiet About Trump

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by 

[Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:18 PM UTCPublished: Mar 12, 2018 4:17 PM UTC

![President Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35c3e6ca8c31a7fe/69892a237cdbac9d7cd5c388/donald-trump-stormy-daniels-lawsuit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Samuel Corum—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; Gabe Ginsberg—Getty Images

by 

[Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:18 PM UTCPublished: Mar 12, 2018 4:17 PM UTC

A lawyer for Stormy Daniels, the[ porn actor and director who allegedly had an extramarital affair with President Trump](http://time.com/5191344/stormy-daniels-donald-trump-confidentiality-agreement-lawsuit-strength/) over a decade ago, says she would be willing to return the $130,000 she received in exchange for her silence.

According to the [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/business/media/stormy-daniels-donald-trump.html), Stephanie Clifford, who goes by Stormy Daniels professionally, would return the money so that she could speak openly about the alleged affair, Trump’s attempts to keep her quiet and use and publish any “text messages, photos, and/or videos relating to the President that she may have in her possession,” without legal consequence.

This request was made in a formal letter to Trump’s personal lawyer Micheal Cohen, the [_Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/business/media/stormy-daniels-donald-trump.html) reports. Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti is giving Trump’s team until noon on Tuesday to decide if they will agree to their terms. The _Times_ reports that the money would be returned by this Friday.

Last week, Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels against Donald Trump with hopes of invalidating an agreement she signed in 2016 to keep quiet. The suit claims the agreement is not valid because[ it does not carry the president’s signature](http://time.com/5188928/stormy-daniels-suing-donald-trump-over-nondisclosure/). In an [interview with the “Today Show” about that suit](http://time.com/5189218/stormy-daniels-porn-star-donald-trump-affair-confirmed/), he said Daniels would be willing to return the money if she were to win.

“In light of the amount of misinformation that Mr. Cohen has put out there to the Wall Street _Journal_, the Washington _Post_ and others, I think it’s time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who’s telling the truth,” he said on “Today.”


The is the latest step in the ongoing saga of Trump and Daniels, who recently sat for an interview with “60 Minutes.” [_BuzzFeed News_](https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/trump-lawyers-are-considering-a-challenge-to-60-minutes?utm%5Fterm=.hxJNm4BL0#.xi7VYpkLW) reports that Trump’s personal lawyer is trying to keep the interview from airing via a legal challenge. The interview is set to air on on CBS on March 18.

> [](https://twitter.com/MichaelAvenatti/status/971868310886379523)

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