Why Trump Should Fear Michael Avenatti More Than Bob Mueller

[DonViejo]

By JOHN CULHANE May 18, 2018

Quick: What’s the basis of the civil lawsuit that high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti is pursuing on behalf of adult film actress Stormy Daniels?

It might take you more than a few seconds to recall that the suit is based on an agreement that Daniels signed shortly before the 2016 election, promising not to disclose her (alleged) sexual relationship with Donald Trump. She’s asking a California trial judge to declare that the agreement isn’t enforceable against her because Trump (or his pseudonym, David Dennison) never signed the document, and because it’s void for public policy reasons, too. Avenatti has been racing from one microphone and news camera to another, blaring damning information about Trump’s sometime attorney, Michael Cohen (and, by implication, the president himself). The suit, and Avenatti’s aggressive TV lawyering, has rattled Trump’s legal team, provoking Rudy Giuliani into a series of damaging admissions—including the revelation that Trump did indeed reimburse Cohen for his $130,000 payoff to Daniels.

Avenatti has boasted openly about his strategy, goading the 73-year-old former New York mayor at every opportunity as “out to pasture,” “tired” and “dazed and confused” and challenging him to a one-on-one debate on the case. “Not all cases are the same nor is the winning strategy,” he recently tweeted. “Here, the constant media/PR pressure has forced Trump, Cohen, et al. to make a series of huge errors and to make damaging admissions helpful to our case. This was not by accident.”

It’s undeniable that Avenatti has had an impact, but it’s also fair to say that some of the matters he’s been discussing – about clandestine meetings between Trump campaign operatives and Russian oligarchs, and about corporate contributions to the Cohen-created LLC, Essential Consultants – seem only dimly related to the underlying suit, and to the client on whose behalf Avenatti is supposed to be working.

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https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/05/18/donald-trump-michael-avenatti-mueller-investigation-218403

[unblock]

1. donnie's arrogant inability to admit defeat may be his undoing.

just think where we'd be if donnie had simply admitted the affair and released stormy from the nda.
it would have been an embarrassing story for a week. melania would have been pissed at him, so no change there.

but that would have been the end of it.

[Orsino]

4. His life is a stack of lies.

Admitting to even one will mean the others fall apart even faster.

[shanny]

2. I keep trying to make this point to friends of mine

who dismiss Stormy Daniels' suit as a mere sideshow and unimportant. We know the congressional investigations have been weakened or even halted by Repuke allies of the preznit, and they / he will continue to attack and try to derail Mueller. Worse, the normal end of the Mueller investigation would be a report to Congress, and referrals to the prosecutors who may or may not act on them. But tRump can't do fuck all about this civil suit...and worse, with Avenatti out there being so effective, determined and visible, whistleblowers are now contacting him with more fuel for the fire.

It is apparent to me that Stormy is on a crusade. Sure, more money would be fine, but I think mostly she wants the assholes who threatened her brought down. And she has an outstanding advocate to help her do that.

[unblock]

5. these things are related imho. avenatti is effective *because* the other investigations are at risk

i think a number of sources are feeding evidence to avenatti precisely because they are worried that the information will be buried if donnie and his thugs are able to effectively kill the official investigations.

he's becoming a sort of wikileaks; or, well, what wikileaks pretended to be....

[dalton99a]

6. +1

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Donnie of Dipstick Fame,

will have to sit for a Deposition in front of Mr. Avenatti at some point. Count on it. Maybe several Depositions's. Depending on Avenatti's client list.