The title is, frankly, a bit of a misnomer, as she didn't do much describing of the alleged affair, much to my relief. Although there is a common assumption that "everybody" was tuning in for sex gossip, I was dreading those details and was quite glad I didn't have to listen to them in order to watch something I felt obliged to watch for my work.
Instead, she talked about the circumstances of their meeting and sexual encounter, and then the segment rather swiftly moved on to the attempted silencing and attendant threats and corruption.
And now we get into the corruption and possibly illegal portion of it: The payment to buy Daniels' silence may have been a violation of campaign finance law.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 25, 2018
When the segment came back to Daniels' interview, Cooper asked her to respond to the accusations that she's a liar who's just trying to make a quick buck.
Daniels makes the point well that any potential upsides to her speaking out are unknown, but that she will face a metric ton of shit in blowback is a certainty.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 26, 2018
"I have no reason to lie," she told Cooper. "I'm opening myself up for, you know, possible danger and definitely a whole lot of shit."
Cooper pushed further, asking her about the "potential financial upside — maybe somebody will want you to write a book. Maybe, you know, you can go on a bigger tour and make more money dancing."
"That's a lot of ifs," she replied.
Indeed it is.
This is the same road any woman who speaks out against a powerful man must walk: Accused of lying, despite the fact that there is very little upside for her to telling the truth, if any, but there is always a massive downside.
And, like any other women making herself heard, Daniels' truth is the truth irrespective of the public's reaction to it.
She doesn't need me to believe her, but I do.
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