Police said Friday that the July arrest of adult-film star Stormy Daniels was improper but not politically motivated, according to The Associated Press.
Columbus, Ohio, police had investigated allegations that officers who support President Trump sought to retaliate against Daniels over her claims that she had an affair with Trump.
{mosads}Daniels was arrested in July while performing at an Ohio strip club on charges that she inappropriately touched a patron.
The charges were dropped after prosecutors said the law cited in her arrest only applied to regular performers. Undercover officers had been at the club to investigate illegal activity unrelated to Daniels, including human trafficking, underage drinking and drug dealing.
According to a police report obtained by the AP, officers opted to obtain evidence of illegal touching when they arrived at the club “by placing themselves, unnecessarily, at risk and potential for physical contact” with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
The AP reported that officers cited a 10-year-old law in arresting Daniels, which states that dancers at “sexually oriented” businesses are not allowed to touch customers and vice versa.
City Attorney Zach Klein said last year the law was “glaringly inequitable” since its applicability relies on how regular the dancers’ performances are. He added that employees who touch police would not be in violation of the statute since on-duty officers are not legally considered customers.
Daniels sued the Columbus police officers for $2 million in January, claiming the arrest was politically motivated.
The lawsuit claims the officers “believed that Ms. Clifford was damaging President Trump and they thereafter entered into a conspiracy to arrest her during her performance in Columbus in retaliation for the public statements she had made regarding President Trump.”