Stormy Daniels makes surprise appearance in Manhattan DA's Trump probe

Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels. Logan Cyrus / AFP via Getty Images; Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

• The adult film star Stormy Daniels met with prosecutors in the Manhattan DA's office.
• Her lawyer said Daniels "responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed."
• The Manhattan DA's office is in the final stages of its investigation into Trump's $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels in 2016.

The adult film star Stormy Daniels met with New York prosecutors on Wednesday.

That's according to her lawyer, Clark Brewster, who said that Daniels "responded to questions and has agreed to make herself available as a witness, or for further inquiry if needed." It's unclear if the meeting was in person, or, as is more likely, was held virtually.

The Manhattan district attorney's office started investigating the Trump Organization in 2019, following testimony from Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who admitted to facilitating an illegal $130,000 hush-money payment Daniels in 2016.

Daniels said she had an affair with Trump in the mid-2000s and that he and Cohen paid her in exchange for her silence during Trump's first presidential campaign.

Cohen testified before a grand jury on Monday and returned on Wednesday to complete his testimony. He's expected to be the last witness to appear before the panel as the DA's office appears to move closer to indicting Trump.

If he's indicted, Trump would be the first former president to face criminal charges in US history, and the development would roil the 2024 presidential race.

"Everyone is looking for their 15 minutes of fame," Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said when asked about Daniels' meeting with the DA.

Tacopina also took a swipe at Cohen, who has been very public about participating in the probe and grand jury.

"When people appear before something as serious and confidential as a grand jury proceeding and run out of the court house to hold press conferences or tweet about it , it is a glimpse into their motives and credibility," Tacopina said.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and this week called the DA's probe a "Scam, Injustice, Mockery, and a Complete and Total Weaponization of Law Enforcement in order to affect a Presidential Election!"

The former president also initially denied any knowledge of the payment, but he has since said through his defense attorney that he was following Cohen's legal advice in paying Daniels.