Michael Avenatti just can’t keep quiet. Yesterday he was on CNN and also gave another speech in Iowa. This morning he went to Twitter to announce that he wants a judge to expedite a motion he filed in April that would allow him to question Donald Trump and Michael Cohen under oath. He also attached a link to the original motion.
“We will be moving quickly to have the court rule on this pending motion seeking depositions of Cohen & Trump and an expedited trial. The American people deserve to know the truth about the conduct of Trump and his cover-up. And we intend on disclosing it.”
We will be moving quickly to have the court rule on this pending motion seeking depositions of Cohen & Trump and an expedited trial. The American people deserve to know the truth about the conduct of Trump and his cover-up. And we intend on disclosing it.https://t.co/qzrzUUoNxL
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) August 23, 2018
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Avenatti has been saying for months that he would eventually get the chance to interview Trump and Cohen as part of the Stormy Daniels lawsuit against them. As a matter of law, he is correct. In a civil case his client has the right for her attorney to sit down with the defendants (Trump and Cohen) and put on a tape recorder while asking them questions pertinent to the case.
Avenatti gets almost giddy when talking about the prospect of questioning Donald Trump under oath while the entire session is recorded.
Trump of course is doing everything possible to keep that from happening. He and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani are exerting great effort to try to distract the media and American voters from what is really going on. On CNN, Avenatti referred to this as “the Alice in Wonderland presidency.” Which is a very apt description, because as time goes on and more evidence is revealed, Trump’s behavior and comments get “curiouser and curiouser.”
“Stormy Daniel’s attorney @MichaelAvenatti: “Welcome to the Alice in Wonderland presidency. Here, Anderson, truth is not truth, a crime is not a crime and Alan Dershowitz is not on television to defend Donald Trump.”
Stormy Daniel’s attorney @MichaelAvenatti: “Welcome to the Alice in Wonderland presidency. Here, Anderson, truth is not truth, a crime is not a crime and Alan Dershowitz is not on television to defend Donald Trump.” https://t.co/1j0yq1kYiU pic.twitter.com/HruhLKwh1T
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) August 23, 2018
In the meantime, Avenatti visited Iowa again on Wednesday as he explores a possible run for the presidency in 2020. According to The Des Moines Register, he spoke to about 30 people at a reception for the County Iowa Democratic Elected Officials Association. At the reception Avenatti said:
“I’m going to talk to people to find out whether it makes any sense for me to consider this and at the same time raise money for Democrats. Because Democrats need money in connection with the midterms, and we need to take as many seats as we possibly can. So that’s why I’m here, and I anticipate coming back before the midterms.”
Here are additional comments made by Avenatti in response to audience questions:
Is he qualified to be president?
‘The question in 2020 is not who would make the best president. In 2016, the Democratic Party ran, in my view, the most qualified candidate to ever seek the office of the presidency of the United States. Ever. … But the question in 2020 is not who would make the best president of the United States. … The question is, ‘Can the individual beat Donald Trump?’ And as a party we need to be really, really honest with ourselves and each other when we answer that question.”
Will he run for president if Trump doesn’t run in 2020?
‘I will not run if Trump and Pence aren’t on the ballot. If Donald Trump resigns and does not run, and if Mike Pence does not run and resigns … I will not run. So people that say that this is about me wanting to become president of the United States or about ego or anything else, that’s just simply not true.”
Will he accept any corporate PAC dollars for his campaign?
“In the event that I decide to run, I’m not going to accept any corporate PAC dollars. I know some others that are thinking about running have said the same thing. But here’s the other thing I’m going to say: Anybody that runs for the presidency of the United States should refund any corporate PAC dollars they’ve received since January 1, 2016. It’s not enough to be a Johnny-come-lately on the issue … “
The Register interviewed attendees at the conference and found that the reaction to Avenatti and his comments was generally quite positive. It is still a long way from now till 2020 and there is no guarantee Avenatti will actually run for president, let alone have a chance of winning.
One thing he has done, however, is get people talking about issues that are very important for Americans to talk about. Our democracy is at risk, and we must do everything we can to defeat Trump, Pence and all of their supporters and enablers. The future of our country is at stake, and Michael Avenatti knows that.
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.
