
Following the release of the 'Access Hollywood' tape in October 2016, Trump attorney Todd Blanche revealed that Stormy Daniels and her then-publicist Gina Rodriguez saw an opportunity to capitalize on the situation. Blanche stated that they believed it was the right moment to take action.
Blanche also presented text messages exchanged between National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard and Rodriguez, indicating that there was a belief that David Pecker would be willing to pay for Daniels' story.