‘How Ya Like Me Now’: Stormy Daniels Upbeat After Trump’s Double Whammy

Washington: A bad day in court for his former associates could foreshadow hard days ahead for President Donald Trump, but there’s one person sitting smug at the heart of the saga — porn star Stormy Daniels.

In a tweet with apparent reference to the Commander-in-Chief’s legal woes, Daniels, who alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 hush money, seems to be celebrating her vindication.

In another tweet, she thanked her lawyer Michael Avenatti, who has strongly suggested that he is ready to take on the president in the 2020 elections.

Daniels had recently pulled out of British reality show Celebrity Big Brother at the last minute after a dispute with producers. Avenatti said Daniels argued with producers who attempted to "control her and produce a certain result."

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and has rebutted other allegations of violating campaign funding laws.

Trump stood accused of conspiring to commit campaign finance fraud and two of his closest aides faced jail time after court proceedings delivered a legal and political one-two punch to his embattled presidency.

In a drama that played out simultaneously across two US cities, a court found one former aide guilty of eight charges — and the other pleaded guilty to another eight — stemming from the federal investigation into the 2016 presidential election.

In New York, Trump's longtime fixer, the attorney Michael Cohen, admitted to charges that included making illegal campaign contribution. Cohen detailed how he made pre-election hush payments to Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claimed to have had an affair with Trump.

In a sensational twist, Cohen also pointed to the president — or "individual 1" as a co-conspirator — alleging that he acted "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office" in making those payments.

While the Cohen drama was unfolding in New York, a jury in Virginia found Trump's one-time campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, guilty on eight counts, including bank fraud, tax fraud and failure to declare foreign bank accounts. Trump expressed regret, calling Manafort "a good man."