In March, former chairman of the Republican Party Ronna Romney McDaniel lost her job at MSNBC because liberal hosts panicked at the thought of having a pro-Trump conservative on their shows.
Rachel Maddow, for example, demanded on her Monday show that NBC executives “reverse their decision” to hire McDaniel, wrote New Conservative Post, calling it inexplicable.
Having someone not inside the liberal bubble might be a bridge too far for MSNBC, but having someone in jail apparently isn’t. Michael Avenatti is back on cable news, coming to you live from a prison cell.
Avenatti, a disbarred attorney, is currently serving 19 years for extortion, fraud, obstruction, and identity theft. Some of those charges stem from his theft of proceeds from a book by his former client, Stormy Daniels. The ex-lawyer became a cable news celebrity during the Trump administration thanks to his representation of Daniels, with whom Trump had an extramarital affair, Mediate reported.
The former president is facing 34 felony counts in Manhattan in what District Attorney Alvin Bragg says was Trump’s falsification of business records to conceal hush money payments to cover up said affair. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Melber spoke by phone with Avenatti, who joined Tuesday’s edition of The Beat on MSNBC from Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island in California.
The interview received mockery on social media. “Ari Melber has Michael Avenatti on from Terminal [Island] Prison and his opinions are just as bad as you’d imagine,” commented journalist Jeff Jarvis. “He throws Michael Cohen and his former client, Stormy Daniels, under the bus, where he lives now.”
In the astonishing interview, the former Trump nemesis sided with the former president. “Michael, have you been in touch with D.A. Bragg’s office?” the MSNBC host asked. “And what specifically in evidence or logic do you think is wrong with this case?”
“I’m going to decline to answer as to whether I’ve been in touch with either the defense or the D.A.s office,” Avenatti replied. “But let me say this in response to the second part of your question. You know, I think the case has a lot of problems. Now that– I don’t mean to suggest that means that Trump will not be convicted because I think he will be convicted because number one, he’s a criminal defendant in our society. I don’t believe criminal defendants generally get a fair shake.”
“I don’t think that he can get a fair trial in New York,” he continued. “And to the people who claim that in fact, he can get a fair trial in New York with a New York jury, I would ask them, if they were to go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and find out that the case had been moved to Mississippi or Alabama, would they still think the trial was going to be fair?”
Melber was slammed by another guest right after the interview with Avenatti by civil law attorney Nick Akerman.
Nick Akerman is critical of Ari Melber's interview with Avenatti.
"I wouldn't take his word on any of those two things! He knows NOTHING about this case… he's not a witness in this case!"
He adds that "no reasonable district attorney" would ever put Avenatti on the stand. pic.twitter.com/Spq7L5MGBS
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 9, 2024
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