Michael Avenatti Expresses Support for Trump in Prison Phone Interview
Donald Trump may have found an unlikely ally in his ongoing legal battles, receiving a pledge of support from a once-virulent critic who conveyed his awareness of the injustice of the former president’s legal persecutions in a surprising series of remarks to the press published on Saturday.
Michael Avenatti, the scandal-plagued celebrity lawyer who represented Stormy Daniels against former President Trump, has volunteered his support for the embattled Republican presumptive nominee and is reportedly in communication with Trump’s legal defense team.
Avenatti has expressed that he is open to testifying against his former client, as he disclosed to the New York Post during a phone call from Terminal Island, a minimum-security federal prison in Los Angeles.
There, he is serving a 19-year sentence for various federal crimes, including extortion, tax evasion, fraud, and embezzlement.
“The defense has contacted me,” Avenatti told the Post.
Avenatti expressed his willingness to participate in the trial, although he was uncertain if he would be called upon to testify.
“I’d be more than happy to testify, I don’t know that I will be called to testify, but I have been in touch with Trump’s defense for the better part of year,” Avenatti added in his remarks to the Post. He refrained from sharing specifics about his discussions with Trump’s team. A source close to the former president confirmed these ongoing discussions.
Avenatti critiqued the political motivations behind Trump’s trial, suggesting that the former president was being unfairly targeted to hinder his potential re-election.
“There’s no question [the trial] is politically motivated because they’re concerned that he may be reelected,” Avenatti told the Post. “If the defendant was anyone other than Donald Trump, this case would not have been brought at this time, and for the government to attempt to bring this case and convict him in an effort to prevent tens of millions of people from voting for him, I think it’s just flat out wrong, and atrocious,” he added.
Avenatti suggested that the legal challenges might ultimately benefit Trump, potentially boosting his campaign.
“I’m really bothered by the fact that Trump, in my view, has been targeted. Four cases is just over the top, and I think there’s a significant chance that this is going to all backfire and is going to propel him to the White House,” he added in his remarks to The New York Post. “Depending on what happens, this could constitute pouring jet fuel on his campaign.”
Once an obscure lawyer, Avenatti became well-known for representing Stormy Daniels, who claimed that Trump had an affair with her in 2006, allegations Trump has consistently denied. A payment of $130,000 to Daniels purportedly to ensure her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign is now a central issue in the Manhattan criminal case against Trump.
Avenatti’s visibility increased as he appeared frequently on MSNBC, and some even speculated about his potential as a presidential candidate. However, his career took a downturn as he faced numerous charges and is currently serving a long prison sentence.
Regarding his former client, Daniels, Avenatti was quite critical, warning that she might commit perjury if called to testify.
“Stormy Daniels is going to say whatever she believes is going to assist Stormy Daniels and putting more money in her pocket,” Avenatti told the Post. “I don’t know how you can possibly put someone who makes those claims on the witness stand and use them as a star witness in a case against a former president United States who’s running for president. That is just absolutely ludicrous to me,” he remarked.
Despite the numerous challenges, Avenatti saw similarities between his and Trump’s situations, feeling both were unjustly targeted by the justice system.
“I think that we were both targeted by the justice system,” Avenatti told the Post. “I’m not saying any of this because I’m seeking a pardon.”
Reflecting on his past actions and public statements, Avenatti expressed regret, particularly concerning his association with Daniels.
“I wish I would have never met Stormy Daniels. I should have left her where I found her,” he lamented to the Post.
In response, Daniels, reached by phone by The New York Post, dismissed Avenatti as a “lunatic” and a “scumbag.” She added, “I was about to say that I also wish I’d never met him but I’m actually glad because I’m the one that helped convict him so he couldn’t steal from even more unsuspecting clients,” Daniels said.
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