Documents link porn star scandal to lawyer with Trump ties

WASHINGTON — New documents show a second lawyer with ties to President Donald Trump was involved in legal efforts to keep adult film star Stormy Daniels from talking about her alleged affair with Trump.

Attorney Jill A. Martin signed the documents, which were filed Feb. 22 as part of confidential arbitration proceedings. She’s referenced in the filing as counsel for “EC LLC,” though the address she lists is that of Trump’s Los Angeles golf club.

EC appears to be a reference to a company formed by Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to facilitate a $130,000 payment to silence Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen has acknowledged making the payment, but said he was not reimbursed and denied the campaign and the Trump Organization were involved in the transaction.

Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti, confirmed the authenticity of the new documents to The Associated Press. The documents were first reported by CNN and the Wall Street Journal.

Avenatti said the documents show that “contrary to Mr. Cohen’s representations, there is little to no difference between EC LLC and The Trump Organization/Donald Trump.”

In a statement late Wednesday, the Trump Organization said Martin worked on the filing in her “individual capacity” and the company “has had no involvement in the matter.”

The White House says Trump has denied the affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

Earlier this month, Clifford filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate her “hush agreement” because it was signed only by her and Cohen, but not Trump. She’s also offered to return the money she was paid for agreeing not to discuss the alleged relationship.

Clifford alleges that she began an “intimate relationship” with Trump in 2006 and that it continued “well into the year 2007,” according to the lawsuit. She said the relationship included encounters in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and Beverly Hills, California.