Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Donald Trump before he was president, said lawyer Michael Avenatti sued Trump for defamation against her wishes, per The Daily Beast.
Daniels also said Avenatti started a new fundraising campaign to raise money for her legal defense without her knowledge.
"He has spoken on my behalf without my approval," Daniels said in a statement. "He filed a defamation case against Donald Trump against my wishes. He repeatedly refused to tell me how my legal defense fund was being spent. Now he has launched a new crowdfunding campaign using my face and name without my permission and attributing words to me that I never wrote or said."
Daniels said she was "tremendously grateful" to Avenatti for "aggressively representing me in my fight to regain my voice," but it is time to "stand up for myself and take back my voice after being bullied and intimidated by President Trump and his minions."
Avenatti told The Daily Beast the vast majority of money raised for Daniels had gone toward her security expenses and "similar other expenses."
"I am and have always been Stormy's biggest champion," he said. "I have personally sacrificed an enormous amount of money, time and energy toward assisting her because I believe in her."
Daniels in October lost her libel lawsuit over a tweet by Trump accusing her of a "total con job." The judge said the president was engaging in free speech.
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