The personal lawyer and fixer for the president, Michael Cohen, is now attempting to silence Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti. On Thursday Cohen filed for a restraining order against Avenatti to attempt to stop him from going on television and from speaking to the media about Daniels’ legal case.
Cohen thinks that Avenatti’s constant presence in the media is hurting him personally as well as damaging his case.
The filing for the restraining order said that Avenatti’s “publicity tour is likely to result in Mr. Cohen being deprived of his right to a fair trial, and threatens to turn what should be a solemn federal court proceeding into a media circus.”
The filing also claims that “Avenatti’s actions are mainly driven by his seemingly unquenchable thirst for publicity” and it alleges that Avenatti “routinely denigrates” Cohen.
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After getting the news, Avenatti posted about it on Twitter:
“We just learned that Mr. Cohen and his atty, Brent Blakely, are going to file a motion seeking to have the court issue a gag order preventing me & others from providing info & docs to the media and the public. They want it all hidden. Is this ok? Will the media permit it? #Basta“
We just learned that Mr. Cohen and his atty, Brent Blakely, are going to file a motion seeking to have the court issue a gag order preventing me & others from providing info & docs to the media and the public. They want it all hidden. Is this ok? Will the media permit it? #Basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 15, 2018
While Cohen is claiming that Avenatti’s media appearances hurt his chances for a fair trial, Avenatti believes that he has a constitutional right to express himself.
Since starting his appearances in the media, Avenatti has always said that his goal is not just to win a lawsuit for his client, Stormy Daniels, but also to uncover the truth about both Michael Cohen and Donald Trump.
In criticizing the attempt to get a restraining order against him Avenatti tweeted:
“The motion for a gag order is a complete joke and baseless. Mr. Cohen and Brent Blakely can’t deal with the truth, the facts, and the law, so they have to resort to unethical, meritless motions. This must be their birthday present to Mr. Trump. #Basta“
The motion for a gag order is a complete joke and baseless. Mr. Cohen and Brent Blakely can’t deal with the truth, the facts, and the law, so they have to resort to unethical, meritless motions. This must be their birthday present to Mr. Trump. #Basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 15, 2018
Prominent New York Times writer Maggie Haberman expressed her view, also on Twitter, that Avenatti was attempting to get the media to join him in attacking Cohen’s restraining order request. She wrote:
“Michael Avenatti is trying to egg the media on to become a party fighting the restraining order application filed by Cohen on @NewDay“
Michael Avenatti is trying to egg the media on to become a party fighting the restraining order application filed by Cohen on @NewDay
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 15, 2018
And after that Avenatti immediately posted a reply on Haberman’s Twitter feed. He wrote to Haberman:
“I didn’t know I had to “egg the media†on. Either they truly believe in the First Amendment or they don’t. Imagine if every source was gagged. The only thing to report on would be the weather. #Basta“
I didn’t know I had to “egg the media†on. Either they truly believe in the First Amendment or they don’t. Imagine if every source was gagged. The only thing to report on would be the weather. #Basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 15, 2018
Stormy Daniels is suing Cohen and Trump as well as Essential Consultants, Cohen’s shell company, in an attempt to avoid the 2016 nondisclosure agreement which was intended to stop her from talking about the sexual relationship she had with the president in 2006. Avenatti is representing her in the case.
Cohen’s request for a restraining order said Avenatti has made numerous predictions about additional legal troubles that Cohen might face and these have nothing to do with the Daniels’ case.
Cohen’s filing referenced Avenatti’s dozens of television appearances, hundreds of tweets and various communications with the media over the past few months.
It is not clear if Cohen will succeed in his attempt to stop Avenatti from talking to the media. It is clear, however, that Avenatti has made an impact by all of his media appearances, and Cohen doesn’t like it. It is also clear that Michael Cohen has bigger problems to worry about than what Avenatti says on TV, since he has lost his legal counsel and is facing the possibility of arrest and prosecution for many federal and state crimes.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
