Stormy Daniels meets Manhattan DA in Donald Trump hush money probe

As part of the ongoing investigation into a $130,000 payment Donald Trump made just before the 2016 election to hush adult film star Stormy Daniels about a previous affair, Manhattan prosecutors spoke with her on Wednesday.

"Stormy Daniels and I visited with prosecutors today at the request of the Manhattan district attorney's office," lawyer Clark Brewster tweeted. "Stormy answered inquiries and has agreed to be available as a witness or for additional investigation, if necessary."

In a different tweet, Daniels expressed her gratitude to her legal counsel for "aiding me in our never-ending fight for truth and justice."

Uncertainty surrounded whether the meeting took place in person. However, the revelation added new drama to a probe that was thought to be coming to a close as a decision on whether Trump would face criminal charges is still pending.

Office of the District Attorney declined to comment.

Grand jury hearing for a former Trump fixer

The meeting took place as Michael Cohen, the former attorney for Trump who handled the payment arrangement, made his second appearance before a grand jury on Wednesday.

Cohen told reporters late on Wednesday that he responded to all queries after the meeting. "My role, for the time being, is over," Cohen said. "I made a commitment to the district attorney that I would continue to provide any information that they may need."

Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, said he was unaware of a meeting involving prosecutors and Daniels. He said Cohen's testimony lasted "a couple of hours."

Federal authorities closed their own investigation into the payments in 2019, and Trump has denied wrongdoing. But Cohen's testimony—who has already been found guilty and sentenced to prison—could aid in the filing of the first-ever criminal charges against a former president.

Trump previously turned down a request to testify before the Manhattan grand jury.

Why Stormy Daniels' testimony is significant

Even though Daniels did not know the facts of whether Trump personally authorised the hush money payments to her, Joyce White Vance, a former federal prosecutor, said Daniels' testimony might be crucial during grand jury deliberations of the case and at a prospective trial.

"At trial, details help a jury understand the government's evidence," Vance, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017, told USA TODAY.

"Whether she corroborates Michael Cohen or not," Vance said, "Daniels' testimony can help jurors understand what Trump had to hide and the political motive for securing her silence just ahead of the election."

Barbara McQuade, another former federal prosecutor, said Daniels' story is important even if the district attorney does not intend to call her as a witness "to ensure that they are aware of all relevant facts before filing charges."

"They also may want to meet with her to lock her into a story to prevent her from fabricating a new story down the road when the case comes to trial," said McQuade, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2010 to 2017.

Trump faces numerous investigations

The Manhattan investigation is only one of the many investigations into Trump.

A Justice Department special counsel is looking into how the former president handled secret information and attempted to thwart Joe Biden's 2020 presidential bid.

Meanwhile, the district attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, has also said that she is close to deciding whether to file charges in a thorough investigation of Trump's attempts to sway Georgia's 2020 election.