Stormy Set Up? Emails Indicate Cops Targeted Ohio Strip Club Show

COLUMBUS, OH – Emails between police detectives and vice officers indicate that an arrest of President Trump accuser Stormy Daniels at a Columbus strip club may have indeed been a setup and planned days before she arrived in town earlier this month, according to an Ohio news site.

The emails, which were given to the Fayette Advocate by an unidentified whistleblower, include news articles of Daniels' performances, videos of her shows and a map to the Sirens, the Columbus club where she danced and ultimately was arrested on July 12.

The emails, which were primarily circulated by Columbus Detective Shana Keckley, indicate that police were well aware of her appearance on the evening of July 11 at the the club, according to the Advocate. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Cliffords, was arrested early on the morning of July 12.

After Daniels was arrested, police said she had been caught up in a raid by police who were investigating a sex trafficking ring. Daniels had been charged with three counts of knowingly touching a patron of a sexually oriented business. Ohio law prohibits customers of strip clubs from touching performers.

Those charges, however, were dismissed within 24 hours. Prosecutors cited a technical point within the state law that "no person who regularly appears nude ... shall knowingly touch a patron" of a strip club. Prosecutors wrote that police had no evidence that Daniels appeared regularly at Sirens.

In tweets after Daniels' arrest, her attorney, Michael Avenatti, called the incident "a setup and politically motivated."

"She was arrested for allegedly allowing a customer to touch her while on stage in a non sexual manner! Are you kidding me? They are devoting law enforcement resources to sting operations for this? There has to be higher priorities!!!" Avenatti tweeted.

Daniels, who has performed in scores of adult videos, claims to have had sex with Trump in 2006. She is suing the president and his former lawyer Michael Cohen, and wants a nondisclosure agreement surrounding the affair to be invalidated. Daniels claims that in October of 2016 President Donald Trump paid her $130,000 in hush money about the one-night stand. Trump denies he did.

Photo: In this handout provided by Franklin County Sheriff's Office, adult film actress Stephanie Clifford aka Stormy Daniels poses for a mugshot photo after being arrested at an Ohio strip club for allegedly touching three undercover detectives during her performance in violation of state law July 12, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Daniels posted a $6,054 bail and was released. (Photo by Franklin County Sheriff's Office via Getty Images)