Michael Cohen didn't have an affair with Stormy Daniels, after all.
One America News, a far-right cable network, had been spreading a false story about former President Donald Trump's ex-fixer, claiming it was he, not his old boss, who had a sexual relationship with an adult film star. The story came as Cohen is preparing to testify against Trump at his Manhattan criminal trial, which is centered on Trump's own alleged tryst with Daniels.
OAN retracted the claim this week after facing the threat of legal action, according to the New York Times.
OAN first "reported" Cohen's supposed liaison with Daniels on March 27, claiming that the network got a tip-off from a whistleblower connected to Michael Avenatti, a former attorney for Daniels who is now in jail for extortion. According to the alleged source, Cohen's affair with Daniels had been going strong since 2006.
Cohen said in a statement that the story’s premise was “beyond absurd” and “just plain stupid," adding that he first met Daniels in 2021, when he hosted her on his podcast.
Rather than face a lawsuit, OAN agreed to take down all mentions of the story from its website and social media. Cohen's lawyers did not demand monetary damages.
“This retraction is part of a settlement reached with Michael Cohen,” the statement said. “OAN apologizes to Mr. Cohen for any harm the publication may have caused him.”
Cohen was represented by Justin Nelson, who also represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News, and Danya Perry, Cohen's longtime lawyer. “OAN’s retraction represents a victory for accountability," Nelson said. "This retraction is not about money. It is about protecting the truth.”
In the lead-up to the trial and his testimony, Cohen has been a favorite target of attacks from right-wing figures and Trump himself, despite the latter now being subject to a gag order that bars him from talking about witnesses. Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing Trump's Manhattan trial, is currently considering whether or not to hold Trump in contempt for violating the gag order with his attack on Cohen and other witnesses.
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