Stormy Daniels was arrested on stage at an Ohio strip club, because priorities

Stormy Daniels Receives Key to the City of West Hollywood

I don’t take issue with the fact that people are still going about their days, committing minor crimes here and there, or that people were paying attention to the Thai rescue. But I just keep thinking… you know that thousands of families have been ripped apart at the border, right? You know that there are now thousands of stories of child abuse, and thousands of cases of children and adults who were purposefully traumatized by the American government, right? Everything else pales in comparison. So imagine this: an Ohio police force decided to set up a “sting” on Stormy Daniels when she was in Columbus for an appearance at a strip club. This is what your tax dollars are paying for, Ohioans: police stings for Stormy. From Stormy’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti:

A part-time, over-40 stripper (and national hero) was arrested for “allowing” a customer to touch her. Meanwhile, Kirstjen Nielsen hasn’t been charged with 5,000 counts of felony child abuse. No, there’s nothing to worry about. What Trump-supporting Ohio police chief greenlighted this sting operation at a strip club? Or were the cops already there to enjoy the show and they just decided to arrest Stormy for the hell of it?

Michael Cohen Court Hearing in New York City

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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89 Responses to “Stormy Daniels was arrested on stage at an Ohio strip club, because priorities”

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  1. Kitty says:

    There must be more to this story…would cops seriously arrest her for letting someone touch her? I don’t get it, has to be more to it

    • Noodles says:

      Yes like that Donald Trump would like to destroy her and distract from his own evil doings all in one sitting

      • B n A fan says:

        She was set up. Don’t put anything pass the dotard people. Did they arrest the man who touched her? If not, why not.

    • Sojaschnitzel says:

      No, there hasn’t. Or rather: yes, there is. The something you’re searching for is ugly, orange, and hiding in a big white house.

    • smcollins says:

      There’s an actual law in Ohio that makes it illegal to touch a nude or semi-nude non-family member (or so I read). I imagine it’s to protect workers in clubs like this? But if that’s the case then the customer should have been arrested, not Stormy. But maybe since she allowed it? This whole thing sounds stupid and like a total set-up to keep trying to discredit her.

      • boredblond says:

        The law seems clear that the person doing the touching should be arrested..but I seriously doubt if it’s ever enforced..hope Mr. Avenatti can expose what’s really going on here..

      • Killjoy says:

        AND THIS IS THE DAY SHE BECAME A FEMINIST HERO. I F*CKING CAN’T.

        *Sorry for the caps, kids, I’ve been watching Season 2 of the Handmaid’s Tale!

    • Kitty says:

      I just read a bit about this law, it’s illegal in Ohio for a nude or semi nude performer to touch a customer that isn’t family? Who made this law and why the hell would the cops be there doing a sting except for the trump business. This is ridiculous, and like her lawyer said, it reeks of desperation

      • smcollins says:

        I did a little more digging and found that it’s called The Community Defense Act and it was put into law in 2007. It’s purpose was to protect strippers, making touching by either the stripper or the customer illegal with the exception of immediate family members. It’s rarely been enforced, of course, until now. This entire situation is disgusting. I feel so bad for Stormy, but she’s a strong woman and I have no doubt she’s going to come out swinging. They’re messing with the wrong woman.

      • Aang says:

        So in Ohio it’s legal to go to a strip club and touch a nude family member? I get the spirit of the law but the letter of the law is pretty damn creepy sounding.

      • Kitty says:

        I’m from Canada, Ohio is a place I don’t know much about. After reading more, I know now that it’s kind bass acwards there lol

      • Aang, that was my first reaction too. So, it’s okay to touch nude family members in a strip club? I mean, I get it, but the ick factor is all over that wording.

      • Pandy says:

        Set up and she will walk with a small fine most likely. she’s been off the news cycle for a while so they just did her a BIG favour, bringing her back to public attention.

        I’m just wondering how many family members wander Ohio watching their relatives strip …. yikes.

    • Jay says:

      Dude it’s ohio. There are legit sundown towns all over Ohio and active Klan rallies. The last time I was in Cincy, a nearby town was being littered in Klan flyers. I’ll be passing through there on a road trip and I have to compile a list of towns the NAACP says us Coloreds shouldn’t even stop to get gas in.

      • smcollins says:

        That’s horrible! I’m so sorry, that’s got to be such a scary thing to think about and deal with.

      • Jay says:

        Hah, sorry, my point in my comment was that Ohio is not that complicated IN THIS CONTEXT that there needs to be “more to the story.” It’s filled with racist white voters who elect racist people to various positions of power, including the police chiefs and sheriffs and local prosecutors, who then make criminal charging decisions like this one, enforcing a law that’s rarely enforced all to further the interests of a racist political leader.

        I reread my comment and was like wait people are going to wonder why I’m talking about sundown towns in a Stormy post. Sorry! Haven’t had my coffee yet!

      • MissKittles says:

        I’ve lived in Ohio my entire life & ive never came across any KKK activity. Are you sure that town over from Cinci wasn’t in KENTUCKY? Ky is literally a few streets away from Cincinnati.
        I’m not saying this isn’t true, I’m just saying I’ve never heard or seen KKK.

    • Juls says:

      There IS more to the story: Arrest of an enemy of the regime. Where oh where have we seen this before……hmmmmm. The message is clear: if you speak out against Trump you can be arrested on trumped up charges. Lucky for her (and too bad for them) she has Avenatti on her side. They must not be very bright…….oh, wait……

    • SympathyRage says:

      Trump-sucking fans doing their best yo support their CommandHair and Chief Moron. In Russia she would have been disappeared. Fortunately for white women, only African Amercans get disappeared in this country. *eye roll*

    • Tessy says:

      Actually there is more to it and it’s funny as all get out. According to the police report, she grabbed a female cops head and slapped it with her boobs, then did the same to a male cop. There’s more. It’s a strange time we live in.

  2. grabbyhands says:

    People shouldn’t just be outraged, they should be scared as hell.

    This is how the future looks under 45 and he is busily putting all the pieces in places to guarantee it.

  3. Noodles says:

    This is completely insane. There aren’t even words for how crazy things are right now.

  4. WingKingdom says:

    And did they also arrest the customer who did the touching?

  5. SM says:

    Take it as from someone who studies totalitarian regimes for a living, US is not a democratic state anymore. This situation is an indication that insitutions are already subverted, they serve the leader in power rather that according to the law. This is why resources and insitutions such as law enforcement is used to harras, intimidate and fight the enemies of the leader and subvert the insitutions to act in the interest of the power rather than law. And shortly your authoritarian leader will meat with the criminal, while in his own country political prisoners and politicaly motivated murders of journalists is an everyday reality.

    • TheOtherMaria says:

      I agree and it’s terrifying, every day is worse and worse, it’s too much.

    • iman says:

      He’s already been chatting with Erdoğan, a man whose sheer gusto and skill at being a dictator a beginner like Trump can only admire.

      • Killjoy says:

        Remember when Erdogan’s thugs literally beat up protesters in our nation’s capitol, at his apparent request? And all charges were dropped! Allowing a foreign leader’s goons to beat up protesters in America does not MAGA, for sure.

      • iman says:

        @killjoy what are a few favors amongst friends, eh? The two of them can burn in hell. Erdoğan first. Then he can show Trump the way, just like he always has.

  6. OriginalLala says:

    what the actual f*ck? what a waste of police time and resources….also, terrifying that the orange turd is having law enforcement carry out his pathetic attempts at intimidation !

    • Ms. Blake says:

      And you KNOW they haven’t arrested any of the regularly employed exotic dancers at this club for the same “offense”.

      There are a ton of so-called “blue laws” (allegedly aimed at enforcing moral standards) still on the books so be prepared for Dumpf and his minions to start randomly enforcing those as suits their needs.

      It’s one thing to have a law that states you can’t ride a horse down Main Street (silly now but must have been needed at the time it was legislated) but it’s another when it is obvs aimed at people who don’t fit the straight WASP paradigm (people can be arrested–IN THEIR HOMES–for engaging in certain sexual acts, for example).

      Hell, in the state where my parents lived when they were newlyweds, my mother could not legally go the bar and order a drink. My father had to order it for her and bring it to the table they were sitting at. Lots of these laws are still existent but not enforced so watch out.

  7. Snowflake says:

    Definitely politically motivated. Years ago, i cocktail waitressed in a strip club. There are no cops there, its the bouncers that stop customers from touching and throw them out if they don’t stop. Unless there were cops there because of who she is for extra security and they took their opportunity.

  8. girl_ninja says:

    Set up if ever I saw one.

  9. Beth says:

    I guess they should follow the law, and there is a “don’t touch the nude” law, but if this wasn’t Stormy, would the woman actually have been arrested or would she just have been given a warning? Is Columbus a city in the Rust Belt full of die hard Trumpsters?

    • magnoliarose says:

      No. Columbus is a blue college town. The law enforcement officers obviously don’t reflect that though. However, this could have been a county thing.

      • Mego says:

        Two very good friends of mine are from Ohio – one is from Columbus and the other from Mansfield. They are gobsmacked by the number of educated, otherwise enlightened people living there are Trump supporters. It is incredibly disheartening for them and based on their impressions it doesn’t surprise me that the police in Columbus would take it upon themselves to target Stormy Daniels on behalf of Trump. It’s a dangerous place for her to be.

      • magnoliarose says:

        @Mego

        I think we have all been surprised by the people who support him. Maybe it is better that we no longer see people as more fair and just than they were. I think some part of them was leaning that way all along.

  10. RBC says:

    45 is terrified of Stormy Daniels, it goes far beyond the world knowing about a sexual encounter(he still denies) that they had. Whatever has him so freaked out and overreacting must be something that even his supporters could not overlook.

    • paranormalgirl says:

      IS there anything his supporters can’t overlook, though?

      • Kitten says:

        Nope. Not a single f*cking thing.

      • magnoliarose says:

        There has to be something or else he wouldn’t be so afraid of Putin. If he was as tight with Jeffrey Epstein as was reported then YES there is something they couldn’t overlook. Epstein had something like 5 different private numbers for him. Well enough of them to shrink his support considerably. Some will hold on because he is a reflection of them so they will be there until the end but others would abandon a man who did things to white 12 year olds. If other rumors about him are true then it would be game over for him and he would be in jail.

        The Stormy thing supposedly has to do with a marital agreement with MT and finances.

  11. keroppi says:

    I asked this at the end of the SCOTUS thread but it was probably too late in the day. Is there any feasible way that Trump could get term limits overturned? It seems like all the checks and balances that are supposed to be in place are not working.

    • Iknow says:

      There would have to be an amendment to the Constitution for presidential terms to be changed and to do that, he would need 2/3 of the House of Representatives. That’s too many Democrats to try to convince. Franklin Roosevelt was elected four times, was a great president, and even with his resume, his own party felt there should be term limits to the presidency.

      What I fear most, and most people aren’t talking about is that Donald Trump is friends with Eric Prinze. A man who is the head of a mercenary army. That is my fear.

      • Rescue Cat says:

        I also worry about the liberal judges on the Supreme Court.

      • magnoliarose says:

        Don’t worry Rescue Cat.
        I know it all looks bleak but it will be ok in the end. 45 has opened the door to make changes and if the Dems get some fresh brave souls in office this can be fixed. You can oust judges and expand the Supreme Court. We just need a super majority to do it and it will get done.
        I hate to put it this way but aging is on our side. Every day more young voters turn 18 and old racists die. They can’t sustain this because they can’t beat time.

  12. Purplehazeforever says:

    There’s apparently some archaic law in Ohio they decided to enforce…just like what happened to Rose McGowan. One can appreciate the rescue of the kids in the cave in Thailand & still have many sleepless nights over what’s happening & been happening at the border in our own country. No one currently serving for the administration will be arrested. Not while both the House & Senate are in control of Republicans. It’s just not going to happen. It’s going to take voting them out and then..I’m not sure it will happen. Was Dick Cheney ever arrested? No. Donald Rumsfield? No.

  13. Maya Memsaab says:

    This is Trump Land. OF COURSE you can’t have a woman allowing someone to consensually touch her in a non-sexual way. In Trump Land, men can only touch women non-consensually in any way they damn well please.

  14. Valiantly Varnished says:

    This was a total set up. There were dudes on Twitter campaigning to have her not come to Ohio. And that law ia beyond ridiculous because if a man grabs or touches a stripper without her permission SHE get arrested. Stormy needs to be careful since it’s obvious people are out to get her.

  15. Etta says:

    I really don’t understand police priorities.
    3 years ago I was arrested for going over to a neighbors backyard to comfort their dog who had been left outside for the night in below 0 weather and was howling and crying. I was super calm and tried to explain the situation, but no- they locked me up overnight in a jail 25 minutes away. No prior record, either. I recently had a lucrative job offer rescinded because of it.

  16. Rescue Cat says:

    Daniels: I would love to run against Trump. I know his weakness.

  17. Smee says:

    The Goon Squad runs our country now.

  18. adastraperaspera says:

    She was set up. Or she could have planned it to stay in the news. Either way, she is garnering sympathy, which makes Trump lose points. Good.

    • NGBoston says:

      I would say both Stormy and Avenatti want also to stay relevant and in the news. Stormy is all about pimping herself out and making money as well.

      She is not a “hero” as some are suggesting here by exploiting herself and being paid off for her past consensual sexual acts with the POTUS. Just because she had the stones to seek legal action against him denying it also doesnt make her a femininist. I mean, join the crowd- someone else suing Trump. Snooze!!!

      • chips n sticks says:

        No hero is perfect. They’ve kept sh1tty stuff in the news, so for that they can have all the spotlight they want.

    • minx says:

      Team Stormy forever.

  19. Kitten says:

    Just glad she has Avenatti on her side because this is the very definition of a set-up and Michael isn’t gonna allow that shit to fly.

    I feel like I’m now just in a state of shock with all of this. I am numb to all the terrible things that continue to happen. I keep thinking that we’ve reached the bottom-things cannot possible get worse-and then the next awful thing occurs.

    I don’t know if you guys read about the July 10 EO titled “Excepting Adminitrative Law Judges From the Competitive Service” but basically Trump is trying to take complete control of the judiciary. I think he’s trying to do this before midterms in case the blue wave crashes down and he no longer has control of Congress. Scary-ass sh*t.

    **************************************************************

    So you know that close friend of mine that turned to the dark side because of her Trumpster boyfriend?
    I deleted her last night.
    I’ve honestly never done anything like this before but her BF was talking shit to my BF under a fake burner account on her FB page. Basically just crude garbage that a teenager would use at insults and he is a grown-ass man who works for the Pentagon. My BF didn’t bother clapping back because he’s too mature for that nonsense.
    Anyway, I just decided that she has changed so much in the past year (since she met him) that I no longer have anything in common with her. She shares GOP memes on FB, she vociferously defends Trump’s immigration policy, she deleted all her liberal memes and wiped her account entirely: no more pics of her and her mom at the Woman’s March, etc.
    I really don’t need people like that in my life anymore. The stakes are just too high right now to even ENTERTAIN the idea that people who oppose Trump and people who support him can be good friends. Also, I just don’t trust her fiancée AT ALL. I think he’s a controlling jerk who is trying to isolate her from her friends.

    Trumpism is toxic AF.
    DC culture is toxic AF.

    • Juls says:

      Kitten, I am really disheartened to hear your friend that was recently a liberal and participated in the Women’s March has flipped. That’s really scary. We have conceded that we cannot flip Trump supporters and they are a lost cause. But they can turn some of our own? I’m assuming she wasn’t a swing voting type based on what you’ve said about her. But to turn that quickly on her own beliefs because of some man that appears to be a childish POS?! Wow. You are right to de-friend anyone that supports this outrage. Any time (rarely) my usually-woke husband makes a casuAL statement that makes me question his woke-ness, I educate him. With a lot of the information I pass on to him garnered from commenters on this site, including you especially. If he ever said anything along the lines of voicing any support for Trump, I would divorce him. Also, raising our boys to be progressives and allies to women and POC. Keep up the good fight and please keep commenting, you have been one of my faves for years.

      • Kitten says:

        So happy to hear that you’re raising your boys to be little woke soldiers, Juls. I find it so comforting and inspiring to see moms like you who are actively trying to combat the toxic masulinity that is so pervasive in our culture.

        “If he ever said anything along the lines of voicing any support for Trump, I would divorce him.”

        Same. I would never have gone on a second date with my BF if he hadn’t shown me that he is liberal. We started dating right before Trump was elected and we have been such a constant source of emotional support for each other as we witness the unravelling of our democracy.

        As far as my friend goes, I’ve said it before but never in my life did I think she would renounce her liberal views. NEVER. This guy came into her life when she had just been fired from a job that she loved and was worried about housing and health insurance (DC is very expensive). He swooped in and proposed to her, gave her a place to live, introduced her to his family, and gave her a sense of security during an extremely difficult time. I do think she feels endebted to him on some level. But she has changed SO much to the point where I don’t recognize this person anymore. She is more concerned with scoring political points with her Trumpster BF and his dbag friends than she is in caring for others.

        I also have to add that I have had friends who dated guys that I was either ambivalent or not crazy about but I would NEVER give them an ultimatum or put them in a position where they felt like they had to choose between me and their signifanct other. To me, you just don’t do that. But this is so different…he is on her FB posting vile stuff under a fake account. He said terrible things to my BF and my friend did nothing to intervene. She has become a RWNJ who sees herself as the perpetual victim, complaining about how people don’t accept a difference of opinion anymore and that we are ganging up on her, etc, etc. She has become white feminism personified to the degree that she decided to use a recent post of mine about the ongoing crisis in Flint as a place to air her personal grievances (towards another friend who unfriended her). When I asked her not to use a Flint post to complain about personal problems; that she should send a DM or reach out to this person like a grown-up, she ignored what I told her and continued to yell at my friend.
        She has completed the transiton to a full-blown, self-involved raging Trumpster.

        I’m just done with it.

      • Esmom says:

        Oh Kitten, I’m so sorry to hear things got even crazier with your friend. I was just out of town for a couple weeks, visiting a couple areas that were very blue. I cannot tell you how much more relaxed I felt knowing I wasn’t surrounded by Trumpsters. My town is pretty evenly divided between Ds and Rs, Hillary won here, but there are still too many vocal deplorables for my taste. I just need to get away.

        I recently came across a Tweet that I feel summarizes what’s happening and why nothing, absolutely nothing, sticks to Trump or his minions: “This proves what I’ve been coming to understand: Trumpism isn’t an ideology; it’s trolling. This isn’t about furthering American jurisprudence. It’s about wanting to see people horrified—and feeling powerful while you watch others suffer. It’s empty. There’s no filling this hole.”

        Depressing af. No way to combat this. I know it hurts to cut off a friend but we gotta do what we gotta do to survive at this point.

    • Wood Dragon says:

      Having just moved away from the DC area – my mom retired and as her only child I went with her – I disagree that DC is toxic AF. Like any place, it depends on a lot if factors. Your friend fell in with someone toxic, a human black hole, and it has warped her. That could happen anywhere if that person doesn’t have strength of character or will to stay away from such people.
      DC is a majority liberal town and they are all in a desperate, scarily dark siege, front row seats to the destruction of our democracy. We were horrified and devastated when Trump was inflicted upon us.

      • Kitten says:

        Ok but I’m speaking from the POV of various anecdotal accounts from people who worked in DC and finally left because Washington is just too vicious and ugly.

        I’m unclear as to whether you are talking about DC as a city, but I’m not. I’m talking about DC CULTURE specifically because my friend and her husband work in politics.

        Quite simply, American politics is centered in DC.
        American politics is toxic AF.
        Ergo DC is toxic AF.

        I don’t know if you listen to Pod Save America but those guys (who worked for Obama and/or Clinton) have gone into detail about the punditry, the competitive nature, the sheer #winning at all costs that is so prevalent in DC. It’s the reason why they all left.
        And if you don’t think that DC’s toxicity had a hand in creating an environment that made it possible for Trump’s reign of terror to occur then I guess we just have to agree to disagree.

      • Wood Dragon says:

        I’m talking about the DC everyone overlooks or ignores- everyday DC, the regular people, dedicated civil service and all those who work normal jobs keeping the whole place functioning. All everyone talks about is that stratum above us, not the day to day people of whom I was one for 24 years.
        You know, the ones who have to deal with whatever those with power and influence do for better or worse.

      • Kitten says:

        Ah I gotcha. I have no doubt that there are good, caring people that are dedicating their lives to making the country a great place for the rest of us. I was attempting to comment on the DC *system* writ large; the machinations that lead to corruption. I think even good people with the best intentions can get chewed up and spit out in that kind of environment.

        But I completely understand your larger point that there are thoughtful, intelligent people who are doing a lot of the grunt work and never get their due credit. Didn’t mean to lump them in with the jerks.

      • Wood Dragon says:

        I definitely do get your larger point though. I remember all too well when this obnoxiousness came out in the open with Gingrich during Clinton’s flawed administration. There was even a great comic in WAPO at the time – Richard’s Poor Almanac- all about inventive avoidance strategies when the news became too much.
        We always had the bugs eye view of it all.

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      Kitten, I’m sorry. My friendship circle has changed as well over the past few years and all I can think is that the times has exposed who people were in areas I didn’t know that well. These are real losses, but I can’t have people in my life who would want or allow my other, more vulnerable friends and relatives to suffer (as well as me, I’m in a couple of targeted groups myself). I’m thinking that I have the friends I’m supposed to have at this point.

      Also, propaganda works.

      • Kitten says:

        “but I can’t have people in my life who would want or allow my other, more vulnerable friends and relatives to suffer”

        EXACTLY, WATP. I can’t accept that she values shallow political punditry over the health and well-being of the most marginalized people in this country. When arguing in the past, she kept trying to steer the narrative back to “why can’t I have a different opinion than you?” which was so disingenuous and frustrating. But I see why she would want to make it “Republicans vs Democrats”, because that’s an easy and convenient way to justify her stance, instead of “Right vs Wrong”, which is the argument that I was making.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        Some people still want to see this is politics as usual, when many of us see this as a matter of morality. Sometimes it takes looking at the ashes for people to admit there’s been a fire.

    • magnoliarose says:

      Wow. I did read about you having to let her go but I haven’t been able to follow up on threads as much lately so I don’t know if you read what I wrote.
      I also shared about my cousin who was such a cool liberal irreverent woman living in NOLA. She was active in the fight to rebuild the 9th Ward after Katrina but she ended up voting for 45. I thought she had escaped the gene pool but in the end, she turned away from all of her previous beliefs. She became more involved in her Catholicism but changed churches. I think her new church is far more strident Pro-Life and ultra conservative. Her husband was always a GOP socially liberal moderate however he was all about the tax cut and hated HRC. I liked him because he at least seemed reasonable and he was nice but he became unhinged about HRC. I mean really off the rails. And now she’s one of those white women I despise.

      I don’t know what happens. I have to think something had to be inside of them all along. Just enough to grow with the right words and arguments. I look at my Mamere (for French speakers I know it is saying the same thing twice but they speak patois) who is a 5 a week Catholic churchgoer and she voted for HRC and has always been a Democrat and isn’t a racist. She’s been poor her whole life, is barely educated and uncomplicated yet she understands a lot more than a lot of people. So I have to believe they had it in them somewhere.

      WTF is up with her BF though? He sounds very crazy and unstable. Who does that? Burner phones? He must have felt very threatened by you. But still WTF? Did he always seem off?
      I am so sorry for you. I can read that this has been hard and hurtful. It is like a death in some ways. Hugs.

      • Kitten says:

        Sigh. Yeah your cousin’s story doesn’t sound too dissimilar from my friend’s story in that they both essentially changed for the worse. I have Republican friends (some that voted Trump and some that did not) but even THEY aren’t defending this horror show. I also think that it’s easier for me to accept them because I’ve always known them to be Republicans, than it is to accept my friend who decided to embrace this ideology after a year of Trumpocalypse. Like, why NOW for f*ck’s sake? It hurts so much more and feels like more of a betrayal so see someone I love and admire suddenly renounce her beliefs.

        You said that your cousin switched religions. Interesting because my friend has always been agnostic but her Trumpster fiancée (predictably) is a bible thumper. I wonder how much that has influenced her…

        And YES the fake account was crazy. At first I was like “well he works for Pentagon, probably has to keep that shit on lockdown..” but then when he would use that account to basically troll me and my BF every time I would comment on my friend’s political posts, I realized that he’s just an ahole. He didn’t know that we had figured out it was his burner account so basically he thought he could talk sh*t anonymously. I called him out on our last exchange though.

        My former friend has lost friends over this, not just me. She doesn’t seem to hang out with any of our mutual friends anymore, just her BF and his creepy Rethuglican pals. I just worry that this is what he wants: to cut her off from all the liberal people in his life so he can continue to mold her. I mean, she’s a grown-ass woman–she has agency–I’m not trying to put this solely on him. But I also know that she if she had never met him, I’d still have my old friend back.

        It really is like a death. It’s heartbreaking.
        But the left has to stick together right now. Trump-defenders have no place in my life.

      • Wood Dragon says:

        I have a horrible feeling that your former friend’s boyfriend has the sort of troubling psychology that will land him in the evening news one day. He sounds like one metastisizing bad egg.

      • Kitten says:

        @ Wood Dragon-That’s honestly how I feel, too. Something is really off about him…

      • Christin says:

        I had the same reaction about the BF.

        Life is short, and time is a valuable resource. My unsolicited advice is to quietly distance yourself from your friend and her BF. She’s sounds like someone too far gone to use your own time and energy trying to help. You’ve already tried more than most would have.

        I don’t instantly advise cutting off people who have been close, but if they are creating negativity in your life, that’s a signal it’s time to ignore them until that changes.

      • magnoliarose says:

        🙁
        He seems to have “gotten” to her when she was vulnerable and that is a giant red flag. It is as if he is indoctrinating her. You mentioned the bible thumping and I think you may have an answer. It is the root of the change with my cousin. I believe that.

        She may come back from it but I am not sure how much damage is already done. Can people wake up from this? I really don’t know.

    • Apalapa says:

      I am so sorry Kitten. It sounds like your friend may have codependency issues and therefore emotional or mental issues to have changed herself so quickly for a partner. And the rapid engagement and him “saving” her sounds like a red flag/abuse 101 to me. Also his having a fake account to troll you is awful.

      Some years ago, When I was under severe emotional stress, struggling with mental issues, and lived with constant fear of being homeless and dying from health issues I am ashamed to admit I compromised my values to be with a guy, so I could feel kind of safe. I was also suffering severe breaks from reality.

      At a certain point the control and abuse from the guy became more and more and I was lucky friends and family helped me out of there. I am pretty similar to your friend. Everyone was surprised it happened to me. I check all these boxes for what a success is supposed to be. But I was codependent and had my own issues, espexially from my family, that let me believe it was ok and normal for relationships to be like that. I faked it well for many years that I was adjusted.

      It took a little of my own awakening of how mentally unwell I was, psychiatric help too, and then money and friends and family to leave.

      But yeah, My abusive ex also sent messages using my accounts trolling friends.

      The friend will hopefully realize it is an abusive relationship to have moved so fast and for her to have to “twin” with the guy who is engaging in abusive behavior to get love and respect from him.

      love is respect, and adds to your life and world. It doesn’t isolate old friends from your life. Perhaps you can say that to her in hopes it resonates one day. It is a classic red flag of abuse to be isolated from old friends.

      Hugs. it is hard to give space to her but necessary for you and there is nothing wrong with that.

      • Kitten says:

        Thank you so much for sharing your story and I’m so sorry that happened to you. Sigh. It sounds very similar to what I’m witnessing with my friend.

        I’m so thankful that you had freinds and family to be there for you when you finally saw the light. My biggest fear is that I’m abandoning her. I don’t know if she will ever see the light but I also want her to know that if/when she does I will be there, unconditonally. But right now, I just can’t. I can’t be ok with her fiancee and I can’t be ok with who she has become.

        I really do hope she reaches out provately and I can express my concern that she is isolating herself but I fear that she will lash out at me in response. That’s been how she is lately: EXTREMELY defensive over even the tinest criticism. Sigh.
        So hard..

      • magnoliarose says:

        I was thinking abuse 101 too. It is the beginning. I hope not for her sake.

        Thoughtful post, Apalapa, I am glad you are on the other side of it.

      • Apalapa says:

        Kitten, glad it helps a little. I was never a trump supporter but shudder at the views I allowed to go unchallenged from fear. I know better so I do better now and fight for justice with all I have again.

        And if you can’t handle communication with the friend, it is understandable.

        Hopefully your friend – the real her not the controlled and.possibly abused – will snap out of it, someday. And has other support should it come to that. Like a therapist and family. Someone.

        And thanks magnoliarose. I am glad I made it out and also sorry we both see the red flags of abuse but they are unfortunately pretty clear once you know them.

        This site pretty much lists all of what your friend is experiencing kitten:

        http://www.loveisrespect.org
        (Fast engagement or commitment, never disagree, love bombing, acts one way with you vs friends.., moving in right away)

    • Whitecat says:

      That sounds awful and does sound she is controlled and manipulated. But sometimes it’s better to let them find a way out of the mess.

      Regarding DC culture – it’s interesting because that city votes 90% democrats in any given election. However it is a toxic environment (I lived there for nearly 3 years), but it’s nothing new nor did it come with trump. And weirdly, it isn’t so much republican/trump-specific. In truth, not many care about values – just whatever is gonna get them on top with power and only – these people are all likely to be trumpists, Clinton supporters, Bernie bros, etc. they come in all colors and creeds – that’s just my take from DC.

  20. Christina S. says:

    She was arrested for what? I’ve never heard of that charge before and I didn’t even know it was illegal to touch a stripper. I’ve been to strip clubs in the past and some strippers don’t want them to get handsy and some are okay with it. Who knew they were all breaking the law this whole time? I mean can’t they do lap dances? I think this is stupid and almost laughable

    • jwoolman says:

      I have a feeling we will hear the details soon, straight from Avenatti’s mouth. He’s not shy. It does sound like a planned setup, though.

  21. Ruyana says:

    I’m from Ohio. It has been under Republican control for decades. True there was one short stint by a Democratic Governor, but otherwise it’s been all Republican all the time.

    This state is also racist as all get-out. This is the state that excuses a cop for murdering a 12-year-old boy, Tamir Rice, 2 seconds after they arrived on scene. They murdered another young black man for holding a toy gun in a Walmart.

    I doubt that Stormy “let” the man touch her. And it wouldn’t amaze me in the least to learn it was a pre-planned set-up by the Ohio police.

    And last, but not least, this is also the state that harbors Jim Jordan who turned a blind eye to the sexual molestation of OSU wrestlers.

  22. why? says:

    Meanwhile, the Dotard goes unpunished for his sexual misconduct against 19 women and Jim Jordan still hasn’t resigned after 9 men have stepped forward saying that he was very aware of the abuse by the team doctor.

  23. Rachelina says:

    Just read the charges have been dropped.