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US President Donald Trump has tweeted that porn actress Stormy Daniels is pulling a "total con job" by promoting an artist's sketch of a man she says threatened her to keep silent about an alleged sexual encounter with him years ago.
Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, says she had sex with Mr Trump in 2006 and is fighting a 2016 non-disclosure agreement arranged by the President's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, in which she was paid $US130,000 to keep silent.
Mr Trump's lawyers are seeking at least $20 million in damages from Daniels for violations of the non-disclosure agreement.
On Tuesday, she and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, released a sketch of a man whom she said had threatened her in 2011, and offered a $100,000 reward (since increased to $131,000) for information leading to his identification.
Mr Trump has largely remained quiet on the subject of Daniels, although he told reporters earlier this month that he did not know about the payment to the actress.
However, on Wednesday, in his first reference to Daniels via Twitter, he said: "A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!"
Mr Avenatti shot back, noting the recent federal agent raid on Mr Trump's lawyer's office.
"FBI search warrants uncovering EXISTING documents and recordings showing con job after con job pulled on REAL people and very REAL American citizens (who didn't know it). Welcome to the playing field," Mr Avenatti said on Twitter.
"In my experience, there is nothing better in litigation than having a completely unhinged, undisciplined opponent who is prone to shooting himself in the foot. Always leads to BIGLY problems … like new claims (i.e. defamation). LOL."
Daniels' sketch depicts a white male in his 30s or 40s and carries a description of him as "lean but fit".
She has claimed the man menaced her and her young daughter in a Los Vegas parking lot and warned her to stay quiet about a her alleged tryst with Mr Trump.
The White House has consistently said Mr Trump denies the affair.
AP/Reuters
Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, united-states
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