It really looks like Stormy Daniels’ strip club arrest was a set-up

Stormy Daniels’ arrest at an Ohio strip club earlier this month may have been a set-up.

Whistleblower emails released Wednesday by the Fayette Advocate indicate police may have had a premeditated plan to arrest the porn star, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, for her appearance at the Sirens strip club the night of July 11. Columbus Police Department officers arrested Daniels for allegedly touching a patron’s breast and hitting others in the face with her own breasts, according to court records obtained by the Cleveland-based Fox affiliate WJW-TV. That’s a violation of Ohio law, which forbids people who are not family members from touching a “regularly” nude or semi-nude dancer.

Originally, the police department said Daniels’ arrest was part of “a long-term investigation into allegations of human trafficking, prostitution, along with other vice-related violations,” according to a statement posted to Twitter. Less than 24 hours later, however, the three misdemeanor charges against Daniels were tossed out.

The Columbus Police Department then tweeted out an explanation and an apology for the arrest. Its chief, Kim Jacobs, explained that some of the evidence necessary for making an arrest was missing, “in error.”

“While the presence of the Vice officers at the establishment is reasonable,” Jacobs said in that Twitter statement, “the motivation behind the officers’ actions will be reviewed internally to ensure that our Core Values and duty to serve our community to the best of our ability continue to be the basis for our actions.”

But emails given to the Fayette Advocate by a police department whistleblower suggest that officers targeted Daniels for arrest.

In the days before the arrest, one detective reportedly sent several emails to herself containing photos about Daniels and information about her upcoming appearance at the club. Then, shortly after the arrest, the detective sent out another email that read, “I got elements … we arrested Stormy this morning, she is in jail.” (Prosecutors need a certain burden of evidence, or “elements,” in order to pursue a case.)

Another email obtained by the Advocate has the subject line “Stephanie Clifford aka Stormy Daniels complaints and others.” While the body text purportedly doesn’t mention Daniels by name, it reads, “You’re Welcome!!!!! I work Vice now !! [ sic].” After tossing in a couple smiley faces, the detective added, “Thank me in person later.”

Neither the Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein nor the Columbus Police Department media liaison Denise Alex-Bouzounis returned the Advocate’s requests for comment. The Columbus Police Department didn’t immediately reply to a VICE News request for comment on the Advocate report.

Daniels says she had sex in 2006 with President Donald Trump, who then paid her to keep quiet about the affair in the days before the 2016 election. (Trump has denied this, though Trump’s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen has admitted to paying Daniels.) She’s now suing Trump and Cohen in order to be released from a non-disclosure agreement.

Michael Avenatti, who is representing Daniels, has already weighed in on the Advocate report on Twitter. Along with a link to the article, he tweeted, “This is extremely disturbing.”

Cover image: Stormy Daniels speaks during a ceremony for her receiving a City Proclamation and Key to the City in West Hollywood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu, File) Correction: A earlier version of this story misstated the day on which the Fayette Advocate published its report.