Federal Inmate Michael Avenatti Continues Longshot Pardon Bid by Trashing Trump Charges on Fox News

Federal inmate Michael Avenatti continued his Hail Mary bid to receive a pardon in the event that erstwhile nemesis Donald Trump becomes president again.

To be clear, I do not know Avenatti and have no inside information as to what he is thinking, which is why this post is labeled “Opinion.” On the other hand, come on.

The former attorney for Stormy Daniels has been making the media rounds from a federal prison on Terminal Island in Southern California. He is currently serving 19 years on convictions for extortion, fraud, obstruction, and identity theft. Some of those charges stem from his theft of proceeds from a book by Daniels. The ex-lawyer became a cable news fixture during the Trump administration when he regularly blasted the former president.

On Wednesday, Fox News aired what was Avenatti’s second cable news interview this month. Three weeks ago, the inmate spoke with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, and criticized the criminal charges Trump faces in New York, where the ex-president is on trial for falsifying business records. During an interview with Sean Hannity, Avenatti reiterated those criticisms.

“The case is grossly unfair,” Avenatti told Hannity. “And that’s gonna come as a surprise to a lot of people, but I strongly believe that. What is happening right now to President Trump – and let me be clear, I disagree with President Trump on 95% of the issues at a minimum. But one thing he and I agree on, and that is that the politicization of these cases, and this case in particular is gross, it’s uncalled for, and it’s flat-out wrong. This is an effort to the private millions of Americans of their choice for president.”

Avenatti went on to state that not even “serial killers [are] prosecuted at the same time in different cases. The timing is wrong. The case is wrong. And he’s not receiving due process.”

Hannity asked Avenatti why he is changing his tune about Trump – or at least, the investigations into him.

“Is it your experience that contributed to this?” the host asked. “Or is this the entire totality of what happened with you and your former client, the totality of what happened with Michael Cohen, the totality of what happened in your own life? Explain– it’s such a different Michael Avenatti to me. Can you explain that?”

“Well, I think it’s all of what you mentioned,” Avenatti replied. “I’ve learned a lot over the last five to six years, Sean. I’ve been a product of the system if you will. I’ve been ground through the system fighting three cases at one time. I’ve learned a lot about the media. I’ve learned a lot about what it’s like when the government comes for you, when you’re targeted.”

Avenatti then claimed he was deprived of due process and insisted the adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is “not true.”

“I’ve certainly grown a lot and learned a lot over the last five years,” he added. “And that’s why I’m saying what I’m saying now and I firmly believe it.”

Hannity asked the inmate about the prospect of testifying at Trump’s trial in New York considering he represented Daniels to whom Trump allegedly paid hush money to cover up an affair. Avenatti replied by saying he’d make a better witness than former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who made the payment.

However, it seems unlikely that Avenatti will be called as a witness.

“Avenatti’s not gonna be a witness in this case,” former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman told Ari Melber after the MSNBC host just finished airing his interview with Avenatti. “He’s got nothing, zero, to do with it. He has no knowledge as to any of the allegations in this complaint.”

If Trump is elected to the presidency again, he will of course wield pardon power. One of his final acts as president was to pardon former White House strategist Steve Bannon, with whom he had a falling out and repeatedly called “Sloppy Steve.” Nevertheless, even after departing the White House in 2017, Bannon continued praising Trump and was ultimately rewarded when Trump nixed pending federal fraud charges against his former adviser.

Watch above via Fox News.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.