Democrats to Michael Avenatti: You're Not Helping in the Kavanaugh Fight

[babylonsister]

BASTA, BASTA
Democrats to Michael Avenatti: You’re Not Helping in the Kavanaugh Fight
Avenatti to Democrats: Don’t act so weak.
Jackie Kucinich,
Andrew Desiderio,
Sam Stein
09.24.18 7:38 PM ET


On Sunday evening, just as The New Yorker revealed the identity of a second woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, attorney Michael Avenatti announced that he, too, had “credible information” about Kavanaugh and his high school friend, Mark Judge.

The media-savvy lawyer told The Daily Beast on Monday that his client would be coming forward “in the next 48 hours” with details and accusations that mirrored those already leveled and could, in his estimation, torpedo Kavanaugh’s confirmation—all of which would seem helpful for Democrats as they make the case that Kavanaugh is morally unfit to sit on the Supreme Court.

And yet, Avenatti’s late appearance in this heated confirmation fight has some in the party fearful that he will end up doing more harm than good—in particular, giving Republicans ammunition to condemn and dismiss the allegations against Kavanaugh as a political hit job.

“Mr. Avenatti has a tendency to sensationalize and make his various crusades more about himself than about getting at the truth,” said a senior Senate Democratic aide. “This moment calls for the exact opposite.”

Avenatti, who has flirted with a 2020 presidential bid, has so far revealed only some information about the allegations he is set to bring forward. He has yet to provide evidence or identify the woman he is representing, only teasing that he may do so via a television interview before Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford—who has accused him of sexual assault—appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Democratic senators stopped short of criticizing Avenatti, but appeared to be low on patience with his tactic of dribbling out information before a dramatic big reveal, fearful that it undermined the seriousness of the issue of sexual assault.

“If Michael Avenatti has any evidence, he should come forward promptly. If he has a client who has relevant information, I welcome hearing from him,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a member of the judiciary committee, said in an interview. “If there are additional allegations to come forward, this would absolutely be the time because I don’t see us pursuing this matter much more than the next week or two at most.”

more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/democrats-to-avenatti-youre-not-helping-in-the-kavanaugh-fight?ref=home

[Demsrule86]

1. This was posted before...and is nonsense in my opinion. McConnell does not have the

votes to confirm Kavanaugh at this moment and Avenatti helped.

[FBaggins]

22. I can give an example from this morning that clearly didn't help

Saw his interview with Chris Cuomo where he is asked about other women that he had previously hinted were coming out that never happened. He corrected Chris to say that "many women" had come to him with allegations that he was vetting at the time... but their stories didn't check out so he didn't agree to represent them.

[DeminPennswoods]

23. Avenatti's been consistent saying that.

He never named names, just said that he'd been contacted by other women and his law firm was vetting them and their stories to learn if they were credible. He readily admitted that when sexual abuse charges come out, there are people who make untrue allegations for various reasons. Caution was certainly advisable.

IIRC, he did say their were a couple of women whose stories did seem credible, but they apparently did not pan out and they didn't become clients.

[FBaggins]

24. Right... which helps him, but doesn't help the overall effort

I'm sure he prefers to be known as the go-to guy for these types of clients... but it doesn't help people like Dr Ford. How do we say "women almost never lie in such cases" while he's out there documenting that the vast majority of people he has spoken to re: the Kavanaugh allegations were lying?

My point is... what possible good could that statement have done for anyone but him?

[DeminPennswoods]

36. Don't think that statement helps or hurts

It's well known that people who were not abused, etc, often come out of the woodwork if it seems likely there's some kind of payoff. When Penn State's board of trustees decided to pay anyone who made a claim about Sandusky with no questions asked, victims, real or not, lined up to put their hands out and collect.

What's Dr Ford's payoff, aside for her stated intent to do her civic duty and inform the Judiciary Cmte, that would make her come forward? It's certainly not fortune or fame.

In any event, if Avenatti's client comes forward with credible proof that Kavanaugh, Judge and other prep boys did target women so they could take advantage of them, then I think this helps Dr Ford's case. It shows a pattern of behavior so that Dr Ford's allegation can no longer be seen as an isolated or "one off".

[apnu]

31. What Republicans do you think are a 'no'?

Collins has signaled she's a 'yes'... mostly. She's waffling, but I'd put her still as a 'yes'. Murkowski is dead silent, she's in hiding, also a probable yes I think. So who else?

[DeminPennswoods]

38. Alaska's gov and lt gov have told her

it's ok to vote No and it won't hurt her back home. I'm sure Murkowski knows G'town Prep's culture since her brother also attended in the 1980s.

[apnu]

40. Good point.

Murkowski has a fine line to walk. She's been rejected by the GOP establishment, and won her seat on the support of native women, one of the most abused groups in America.

[Eyeball_Kid]

32. Avenatti is running his own show that overlaps somewhat with the Dem leadership's strategy.

I think he's doing just fine. He's pressuring the GOP to give up on Kavanaugh and threatening them in a way that Pelosi, Schumer, and the rest of the establishment Democratic Party cannot and won't. That's good, IMO. That Avenatti may or may not have a secondary agenda is less important than the immediate mission to send Kavanaugh and the whole Trumpy agenda into the dumpster. Remember what McConnell did to Obama in 2016 regarding the SC nomination. It's not "sour grapes." It's a real travesty with regard to the Constitution. The GOP needs to pay.

[DeminPennswoods]

37. Also, Avenatti doesn't want to give up any info to the

committee to avoid, I'm sure, Rs "investigating" to discredit his client.

[RandiFan1290]

2. Any Senate Democrats still planning on voting for this pervert? nt

[FBaggins]

25. A few claim to be still on the fence and waiting for the hearing on Thursday

Nobody outright supporting him at this point.

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

3. After watching him last night

I got the feeling he is trying for a hail mary or the six seconds to go touchdown. If he has something that could possibly put a delay or force the judiciary to open a serious investigation, put it out there.

[Squinch]

4. This was already posted and it's bullshit from a conservative source quoting one "anonymous"

Democrat. Why post it again?

[Loki Liesmith]

5. It's not his job to help anyone but his clients

[LakeArenal]

35. !!!! exactly

[manor321]

6. That is a stupid shit-stirring article in the daily beast

The click-bait headline makes it sound like the entire Democratic party is in a fight against Avenatti. How do these reporters sleep at night after producing such garbage? They produce narratives instead of reporting facts.

[betsuni]

9. +1

[uponit7771]

15. +1

[Jarqui]

7. In this situation where the GOP seem to be going ahead anyway,

if I had to chose, I'd take Avenatti's help in a heartbeat.

Dr. Ford is playing in the GOP's sandbox.
The GOP have limited the room to six members of the media.
The GOP have hired a female prosecutor so they do not get dirty going after Dr. Ford
The GOP have eliminated witnesses
The GOP have avoided the FBI investigating.
The GOP have avoided getting Kavanaugh to take a lie detector test

Avenatti is taking his client's case directly to the people via the media.
It's a different path likely to reach a partially different audience.
Avenatti is more in control of his client's circumstances presenting her side.
And she may well still get what Dr. Ford is getting and then some.
She'll provide a lie detector test if Kavanaugh does.
She'll increase the pressure on having the FBI to investigate
She'll increase the pressure on having Mark Judge and other witnesses testify
She may decline being interrogated by a female prosecutor

It's hard to tell which way Ms Ramirez is going to go.

We're also uncertain if the person chatting with Montgomery County Police is a fourth accuser and where that is going.

With this variety of coverage, if it looks like Kavanaugh is going to get away with it, we may see some more women step forward ...

and for that, I'm glad Avenatti is doing what he's doing.

[Farmer-Rick]

8. So they got some aides and staffers to almost bash him

"Stopped short of criticizing."

And the quote from the Senators just asks Avenatti to reveal the accuser in the next week or two or before the hearings on Kavanaugh are finished.

Seems no one among the Democratic leadership is really bashing him or objecting to him representing the 3rd accuser. Seems the daily beast was looking for a scenario that just isn't there.

But they printed the non-story anyway. Something the Russians and Russian backed GOP did a lot of on posts in the last election.

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. There may be some Dem pols who see , Avenatti as a

huge political threat. He is capable of sucking all the oxygen out of any room. There are people who aren't going to like that.

[dalton99a]

12. If they think they can do a better job, do it.

[babylonsister]

14. Exactly! nt

[smirkymonkey]

17. +1000

[dalton99a]

11. Avenatti is doing a magnificent job fighting the evil regime

[rzemanfl]

13. Watching the morning cable news,

This seems to be the new set of talking points from the Repuke camp.

[TheBlackAdder]

16. Damn, this sure sounds like Right-Wing disinformation.

[ProfessorGAC]

18. Misdirection At The Very Least

Anonymous statements ? Because the dems can't insult Michael Avennatti? Huh? Why would they need to be anonymous?

He's famous, but it's not like he's a big player in national politics. He's a quick witted shark with a political point of view. Somebody puts this statement out there, let's their name get attached, and the consequences would be??? Nothing.

I too, am highly suspicious of this.

[Doremus]

19. Already posted. Why are we doing repuke work? nt

[QC]

20. But he's just so vulgar!

Not a single decent home in Kalorama or Georgetown is open to him!

[Loki Liesmith]

21. Nailed it

[QC]

39. I mean, if I were seen with him I could never show my face in Marcel's again! n/t

[Trust Buster]

26. I agree with the OP.

[WeekiWater]

34. What is there to agree with?

The article doesn't back up the headline. It's really poorly written and very weak deception.

[George II]

27. The headline (not yours) is misleading - the article doesn't show a SINGLE "Democrat"....

...who definitively said that Avenatti is not helping.

[FreepFryer]

28. NOPE. (n/t)

[treestar]

29. It's not his job though

That is to represent the clients.

Though if there is crossover benefit, that's fine.

[WeekiWater]

30. I hope people read the article. It doesn't take long to realize how bad it is written. nt

[JCMach1]

33. Avenatti has done more to forward the Trump investigation

Than every Democratic Congress creature combined...

I trust him on this