YOU ARE BUSY. IM HAVING A DEVIL OF A TIME
FIGURING OUT WHICH NEWS IS FAKE. >> JOINING ME FROM LOS ANGELESE.
>> JOINING ME FROM LOS ANGELES IS MIKETHE ATTORNEY FOR STORMY
DANIELS.
DANIELS. WELCOME TO "MEET THE PRESS."
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> LET ME START WITH A BIG
PICTURE QUESTION.
WHY IS THIS CASE THE CASE YOU
ARE WORKING ON, SO IMPORTANT TO
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE?
>> I THINK ITS IMPORTANT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE BECAUSE ITO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE BECAUSE IT CENTERS ON A COVERUP BY THE
PRESIDENT, MICHAEL COHEN AND
OTHERS RELATING TO THE $130,000 PAYMENT, WHAT THE PRESIDENT,000
PAYMENT, WHAT THE PRESIDENT KNEW, WHEN HE KNEW IT, WHAT HE
DID ABOUT IT AND NOW A SERIES OF
LIES THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN TOLD RELATING TO THAT
PAYMENT AND THE OTHER FACTS
SURROUNDING IT.
SURROUNDING IT.
>> WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO GET OUT OF THIS CASE?RYING TO GET
OUT OF THIS CASE? WHY SHOULD VOTERS STILL CARE
ABOUT THIS NON-DISCLOSURE CASE?
I ASK THAT -- MISS CLIFFORD TOLD
HER STORY.
HER STORY.
WE ALREADY -- ITS ALREADY OUT
THERE.
WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR AT
THIS POINT?
>> SHE HASNT TOLD THE ENTIRE
STORY. "60 MINUTES" AIRED 16 MINUTES OF
A THREE HOUR MINUTE.
THE PRESIDENT AND COHEN
THREATENED HER WITH EXTENSIVE
DAMAGES THAT THEY CLAIM ARE OWED
TO THEM IF SHE CONTINUES TO
SPEAK OUT AND TELL HER STORY.
THIS SHOULD MATTER TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY
HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE TOLD THE
TRUTH BY THEIR ELECTED
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS.
THEY HAVE THE RIGHT NOT TO BE LIED TO, INCLUDING ON BOARD AIR
FORCE ONE.
FORCE ONE.
AND COVERUPS SHOULD ALWAYS MATTER.ERUPS SHOULD ALWAYS
MATTER. TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> ARE YOU TRYING TO WIN A CASE
OR TAKE DOWN A PRESIDENT?
>> WERE TRYING TO WIN A CASE.
WERE TRYING TO PRESENT FACTS
AND EVIDENCE TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
THIS IS A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH. ULTIMATELY, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
AND OTHERS THAT ARE FAR MORE
EDUCATE AND POWERFUL THAN US
WILL DECIDE WHETHER THE
PRESIDENT IS FIT TO REMAIN IN
OFFICE.
OFFICE. >> YOU SAID "60 MINUTES" DID
THREE HOURS OF AN INTERVIEW.
IS THERE STUFF THEY HAD TO
LEGALLY LEAVE OUT?
IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE IMPLYING,
THERES MORE TO HER STORY BUT
THERES STUFF THAT HAD TO BE
LEGALLY LEFT OUT OF THE
INTERVIEW?
INTERVIEW?
>> I DONT THINK THAT THERES STUFF THAT, QUOTE, LEGALLY,
CLOSED QUOTE, HAD TO BE LEFT.
BUT THERES A HOST OF DETAILS
SURROUNDING THE RELATIONSHIP,
THE INTIMIDATION, THE THREATS
THAT WERE LEFT OUT OF THE PIECE
AIRED BY "60 MINUTES."
THEIR FORMAT ALLOWED THEM TO AIR
SO MUCH.
SO MUCH.
>> I WANT YOU TO RESPOND TO
SOMETHING RUDY GIULIANI, AMONG
THE MANY THINGS HE SAID ABOUT
THIS CASE, BUT THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR WAS AN INTERVIEW ON
THURSDAY.
THURSDAY.
HE SAID, IF SOMEBODY MADE AN ALLEGATION AGAINST ONE OF MY
CLIENTS THAT WASNT TRUE AND
ACCEPTED $135,000 TO SETTLE IT,
I KNOW THE PUBLIC MAY THINK THE
SETTLEMENT MAY MEAN AN ADMISSION
OF GUILTY, ITS NOT.
IF YOU ARE TAKING 5 TO $6
MILLION YOU WOULD HAVE SOMETHING
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT.
HE IS IMPLYING IN ACCEPTING THE
$130,000 THAT SHE WAS A
NUISANCE, IT WAS A NUISANCE LAWSUIT AND THAT WHAT SHE WAS
CLAIMING WASNT -- MAY NOT HAVE
BEEN TRUE.
BEEN TRUE. IF IT WAS TRUE, SHE WOULD HAVE
GOTTEN MORE MONEY.
WHAT DO YOU SAY IN?
>> ITS RIDICULOUS.
ANOTHER ABSURDITY BEING TROTTED
OUT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SMARTER
THAN THIS.
THAN THIS. THE PRESIDENT AND MICHAEL COHEN
HAVE PRIDED THEMSELVES FOR YEARS
ON CLAIMING THAT THEY ARE TOUGH
GUYS, THAT THEY ARE GREAT
NEGOTIATORS.
NEGOTIATORS.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HEARD THAT?ANY TIMES HAVE WE HEARD
THAT?
NOW THEY EXPECT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE TO BELIEVE THAT A WOMAN
CAME OUT OF THE WOODWORK, WAS LYING, WAS NOT BEING HONEST,S
LYING, WAS NOT BEING HONEST, THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO
BELIEVE THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED
AND THEY JUST TOOK $130,000 OUT
OF THEIR POCKET AND PAID HER.
I MEAN, ITS ABSURD.
>> WHY DID SHE ACCEPT THAT
FIGURE?
FIGURE?
YOU WERENT HER LAWYER THEN. IT WAS A LAWYER THAT MICHAEL
COHEN WORKS WITH FREQUENTLY BY
THE NAME OF KEITH DAVIDSON.
WHY THIS AMOUNT?
WHY DID YOUR CLIENT ACCEPT IT?
>> WELL, I THINK SHE ACCEPTED
THE PAYMENT BECAUSE SHE
UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS GOING
TO BE AN AGREEMENT WHERE SHE WAS
GOING TO ACCEPT THE MONEY AND
THIS WAS GOING TO GO AWAY AND
THERE WERE RELEASES ON BOTH
SIDES.
SIDES.
THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT NOT TO
SPEAK ON BOTH SIDES, NOT JUST ON
HER SIDE.
THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT BY --
THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN
AGREEMENT BY MR. TRUMP TO GIVE
HER A FULL RELEASE TO LEAVE HER
ALONE, TO NOT DISCUSS THIS.
OF COURSE, THAT AGREEMENT NEVER CAME TO FRUITION BECAUSE HEEVER
CAME TO FRUITION BECAUSE HE DIDNT SIGN THE AGREEMENT.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER
REASONS WHY THE AGREEMENT DIDNT
COME TO FRUITION.
FAST FORWARD TO FEBRUARY --
MARCH OF THIS YEAR, WHEN MICHAEL
COHEN DECIDES TO SPEAK IN
RESPONSE TO "THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL" ARTICLE, AND THEY BEGIN
SPREADING LIES ABOUT MY CLIENT.
>> I UNDERSTAND THAT.
WHY DID SHE ACCEPT THE MONEY AT
THE TIME?
THE TIME? >> FOR THE REASON I JUST
ANSWERED THE QUESTION.
FOR THE REASON I STATED.
BECAUSE SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT
THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT.
SHE WANTED TO GET ON WITH HER
LIFE.
SHE WAS PREPARED TO OPERATE
UNDER THAT AGREEMENT AS LONG AS
THE OTHER SIDE OPERATED UNDER
THE AGREEMENT.
>> WHATS PREVENTING HER -- WHAT
I DONT UNDERSTAND IS, FOR A
YEAR --
>> I WOULD LIKE TO FINISH.
>> FOR A YEAR -- DID THEY TALK ABOUT THIS?AR -- DID THEY TALK
ABOUT THIS?
THATS WHAT IM TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND.
>> ID LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FINISH
MY ANSWER, IF I COULD. SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE
AGREEMENT WAS GOING TO BE
HONORED BY BOTH SIDES AND
EVERYBODY WAS GOING TO MOVE ON.
THATS NOT WHAT HAPPENED.
SHE UNDERSTOOD MR. TRUMP SIGNED
THE AGREEMENT.
THE AGREEMENT. SHE ONLY FOUND OUT EARLY THIS
YEAR THAT IN FACT, HE HAD NOT
SIGNED THE AGREEMENT.
THE AGREEMENT HAD NEVER COME TO
FRUITION.
FRUITION.
IN FACT, MICHAEL COHEN THEN WENT
AND VIOLATED THE CONFIDENTIALITY
AND BEGAN SPREADING LIES ABOUT
HER AND WHAT HAPPENED. >> WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT
KEITH DAVIDSON?
KEITH DAVIDSON? HOW DID HE END UP BECOMING MISS
CLIFFORDS LAWYER?
CLIFFORDS LAWYER?
>> WELL, I MEAN, WE LEARNED A
LOT ABOUT KEITH DAVIDSON.
WE CONTINUE TO LEARN A LOT. I DONT THINK THERES ANYLOT.
I DONT THINK THERES ANY QUESTION THAT THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN KEITH AND MICHAEL COHEN
WAS NOT ARMS LENGTH.
ITS UNCLEAR AS TO EXACTLY HOW
CLOSE THEY WERE.
BUT THAT WAS NOT A TRADITIONAL RELATIONSHIP AMONG TWODITIONAL
RELATIONSHIP AMONG TWO ADVERSARIES.
ADVERSARIES.
IT APPEARS THEY HAVE HAD A LONG HISTORY TOGETHER.AVE HAD A LONG
HISTORY TOGETHER. THEY HAVE A HISTORY THAT
POST-DATES AND PRE-DATES THE
INVOLVEMENT OF MY CLIENT.
WERE STILL TRYING TO GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED
THERE.
THERE.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE THAT MISS CLIFFORD WAS PITCHED HISISS
CLIFFORD WAS PITCHED HIS SERVICES UNDER FALSE
PRETENSIONS?
PRETENSIONS?
>> I DONT WANT TO OFFER AN OPINION ON THAT RIGHT NOW.
I WILL SAY THIS.
THERES NO QUESTION THAT I WOULD
HAVE HANDLED IT QUITE A BIT
DIFFERENTLY.
DIFFERENTLY.
>> HOW DID YOU COME TO BE
REPRESENTING MISS CLIFFORD?
ITS MY UNDERSTANDING YOU SAID
IT WAS A REFERRAL.
WHO REFERRED YOU?
>> IM NOT GOING TO GET INTO THE
DETAILS OF THAT.
I WILL SAY THIS.
NO POLITICAL PARTY OR ANYBODY THATS MRIT HE CANPOLITICALLY AC
REFERRED ME, IF THATS WHAT
PEOPLE ARE SUGGESTING.
THATS ONE OF THE MOST RECENT
CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN AN EFFORT
TO DEBUNK OUR EFFORT OR UNDERCUT
OUR EFFORT.
OUR EFFORT. PEOPLE DONT SEEM WILLING TO
ACCEPT THE TRUTH.
THE TRUTH IS THAT WE ARE PURSUING THIS FOR ALL THE RIGHT
REASONS.
REASONS.
THIS IS A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH.
WERE GOING TO LAY OUT THE FACTS
AND THE EVIDENCE FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
>> DO YOU BELIEVE YOUR CASE IS SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO ROBERT IS
SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO ROBERT MUELLER?
MUELLER? HAS ROBERT MUELLERS FOLKS
REACHED OUT TO YOU OR ONLY THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK?
>> IM NOT AT LIBERTY TO DISCUSS
WHO AT LAW ENFORCEMENT WE
COMMUNICATED WITH.
COMMUNICATED WITH.
WE ARE COOPERATING.
>> OKAY.
HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED TO SPEAK TO
ROBERT MUELLER?
HAVE YOU OR YOUR CLIENT BEEN
ASKED TO SPEAK TO ROBERT
MUELLERS PROSECUTORS?
THATS NOT SOMETHING THAT OTHERS
HAVE FELT THAT THEY COULDNT
DISCLOSE.
>> WELL, OTHERS MAY NOT HAVE FELT THAT THEY COULD OR COULD
NOT DISCLOSE IT.
THATS NOT MY POSITION.
MY POSITION IS THAT WERE GOING
TO RESPECT THE PROCESS AND WERE
NOT GOING TO BE PROVIDING
DETAILS ON WHO IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT WE SPEAK TO AND
WHEN.
WHEN. >> ALL RIGHT.
THE ATTORNEY FOR STORMY
DANIELS -- STEPHANIE CLIFFORD,