Stormy Daniels’ attorney warns Trump attorney Joe Tacopina would have violated ethics when porn star shared ‘trust’ with his company after $130,000 hush money payment was revealed
- A lawyer for Stormy Daniels warned former President Donald Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina that there may be a conflict of interest if he represents Trump
- Daniels’ lawyer wrote to Tacopina on Monday, pointing out that the porn star went to his company in 2018 to seek representation
- In court on Tuesday, Tacopina denied meeting the adult film actress, saying his company “refused” to take her case
A lawyer for Stormy Daniels warned former President Donald Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina of a possible ethical violation because the porn star previously shared “trust” with his firm.
On Thursday, the office of Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg released a letter Daniels’ attorney Clark Brewster wrote to Tacopina Monday, the day before Trump’s arraignment.
It told Tacopina that there could be a conflict of interest if he represented Trump because Daniels had contacted Tacopina’s company to represent her in February 2018 after her meeting with Trump in 2006 became public knowledge.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, later hired attorney Michael Avenatti, but Brewster said his client shared important “confidence” about her relationship with Trump. according to Bloomberg.
“The confidential communications she shared with you and your colleagues — which led to a retainer quote — consisted of shared confidentiality regarding a counterparty clearly identified in that communication,” Brewster wrote. “Now if you represent that opposing party – Donald Trump – it would be an ethical violation that would harm Ms. Clifford and potentially lead to professional discipline.”
A lawyer for Stormy Daniels wrote a letter to Joe Tacopina (right), former President Donald Trump’s attorney (left), warning that there could be a potential conflict of interest because Daniels shared “confidence” with him in 2018 when he sought representation
Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, contacted Joe Tacopina’s company in 2018 after her meeting with Trump in 2006 became public. She eventually hired attorney Michael Avenatti
Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster (pictured), wrote a letter Monday to Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, warning him there could be a conflict of interest
Brewster warned that Daniels’ meeting with Tacopina’s company was “about the same topic” as the ongoing case — in which a former US president was charged with a crime for the first time in history.
In court Tuesday, prosecutor Christopher Conroy raised the contents of the letter in which he told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan that Tacopina may have a conflict of interest in representing Trump.
While Trump has hired a team of lawyers, Tacopina has been the face of the former president’s case.
Conroy said Tacopina had “privileged communication with Stormy Daniels, who we expect will be a witness.”
At the hearing, Tacopina denied ever meeting the adult film actress.
“I never met Stormy Daniels,” Trump’s attorney said. “She called my office, as many people do, and tried to hire me or asked to hire me.”
“She talked to an associate and a paralegal, gave some facts, sent a document, and it went no further. We have dismissed the case. I have not offered her representation,” he continued.
‘Not spoken to her. Didn’t meet her. And it’s as simple as that,” Tacopina added.
Tacopina denied that Daniels ever shared privileged information with him or members of his team — but also pointed out that those privileges would be waived — as she described the entire ordeal in her October 2018 book, Full disclosure.
Tacopina also told Merchan he would not question Daniels at trial if there were concerns about a perceived conflict of interest.