T. Belman. I believe Avenatti will do it. The conversations with the defense lawyers have gone on for a year. Obviously the prosecution attorneys will try to destroy his credibility on solid grounds But I assume Vavenatti will say that Stormy is a liar and that Trump never had sexual reloations with him. That will blow the case wide open and lead to an acquittal.
Although the defense cannot offer him a pardon or anything like it, Avenatti will figure it is in his interest to do so.
The former attorney who is currently in prison claimed he has been communicating with defense lawyers.
By Jack Phillips, EPOCH TIMES APRIL 21/24
California attorney Michael Avenatti leaves a courthouse in New York following a hearing on May 28, 2019. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
Michael Avenatti, the former attorney for adult performer Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, said he has been communicating with former President Donald Trump’s lawyers and may testify against his former client.
Speaking to the New York Post from jail, Mr. Avenatti said that “the defense has contacted me,” referring to the former president’s attorneys. Mr. Avenatti is currently serving out a lengthy sentence for extortion, tax evasion, fraud, embezzlement, and other crimes.
“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,” the former lawyer, who had publicly mulled a presidential run during numerous media appearances during the Trump administration, told the Post. He did not provide any other details, while the former president’s lawyers have made no public comments about the matter.
Mr. Avenatti was the attorney for Ms. Clifford as she alleged to have had an affair with President Trump in 2006. The former president has denied her claims, which have a central role in the New York trial.
In the case, President Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly paying his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to bury negative stories—including claims from Ms. Clifford—during the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty, while his attorneys have sought to portray Mr. Cohen as an unreliable witness, in part due to his past convictions.
Before he was convicted and sentenced on federal crimes, Mr. Avenatti was a vocal critic of President Trump and had even called for his indictment back in 2018. However, in his communications with the Post, he said the New York case against the 45th president is motivated by politics.
“There’s no question [the trial] is politically motivated because they’re concerned that he may be reelected,” he said. “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.”
“I think that we were both targeted by the justice system,” he also told the outlet. “There’s a lot of people on the left that were very concerned about my potential rise within the Democratic Party and my potential rise in Democratic politics. And the fact that I was not someone that was easily controlled.”
Mr. Avenatti added that he is “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.”
Later in the interview, Mr. Avenatti also took aim at his former client, Ms. Clifford, and said she would likely commit perjury when she is called in as a witness in the Trump trial in Manhattan.
“Stormy Daniels is going to say whatever she believes is going to assist Stormy Daniels and putting more money in her pocket,” he said. “If Stormy Daniels lips are moving, she’s lying for money.”
He added: “I wish I would have never met Stormy Daniels. I should have left her where I found her.”
Ms. Clifford appeared to dispute his latest allegations in the Post article, calling him a “lunatic,” adding: “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.”
Last week, 12 jurors and six alternates were sworn in by the judge, who said that opening arguments in the trial would start on Monday. The jury of Manhattanites includes a sales professional, a software engineer, a security engineer, a teacher, a speech therapist, multiple lawyers, an investment banker, a retired wealth manager, and more.
If convicted, President Trump could get up to four years in prison, though it’s not clear that the judge would opt to put him behind bars. He would almost certainly appeal any conviction.
In all, he faces four criminal cases, but it’s not clear that any others will reach trial before the November election. Appeals and legal wrangling have caused delays in the other three cases.
In a separate development, prosecutors asked for President Trump to be held in contempt over a series of social media posts he made this week. The judge already scheduled a hearing for next week on the prosecution’s request for contempt sanctions over his posts.
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