Former lawyer Michael Avenatti has taken a sharp look at the hush money case against former President Donald Trump, claiming it was politically motivated to prevent the former president from taking back the Oval Office in November.
“I certainly understand [Trump] “As a victim of the system,” he said. in a telephone interview Appeared on FOX News Digital while in prison. “And that’s something I never thought I’d say. So Michael Avenatti came to his defense and said that I had been one of his staunchest opponents for a very important period of time. That should tell people something.”
Mr. Trump’s hush money trial began last week in Manhattan, with Mr. Trump accused of dealings related to payments made by former fixer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Mr. Trump. He is charged with 34 counts of falsifying records.
Avenatti, who once served as Daniels’ attorney, is currently in prison on charges of stealing book proceeds from Daniels, defrauding other clients out of millions of dollars, and interfering with the Internal Revenue Service. .
Last month, an appeals court upheld Mr. Avenatti’s 2022 conviction, sentenced him to four years in prison, ordered him to pay $148,000 in restitution, and forfeit about $297,000 that prosecutors say he stole from Mr. Daniels. commanded.
Avenatti, who was once a vocal critic of President Trump, called the four separate criminal charges against him, who is seeking re-election, “a total overreach,” Fox News Digital reported.
“There is a group of individuals in the United States who have decided that they know better about who should be the next president, and they don’t want to leave it to the ‘little guy,'” he said. Said. “So they’re taking matters into their own hands to avoid hearing those people’s voices. I’m very upset and disgusted by that.”
President Trump faces a total of 91 criminal charges in four different jurisdictions.
Avenatti said the issue of Trump’s presidency should be “decided at the ballot box” and argued that prosecutors involved in the four cases had personal motives for gaining fame.
“If the defendant was anyone other than Donald Trump, this corny lawsuit wouldn’t be filed right now,” he said. “He’s definitely being targeted… There’s no question that these prosecutors are trying to make a name for themselves.”
He told Fox News Digital that he was in contact with Trump’s legal team about possibly testifying in the hush money trial and insisted he would tell the truth if called to the stand.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
