MSNBC Guest Dumps on Interview Ari Melber Just Conducted with Michael Avenatti: ‘He Knows Nothing About This Case!’
Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman dumped on MSNBC host Ari Melber’s interview with former Stormy Daniels lawyer and convict Michael Avenatti on Tuesday, resulting in a clash between the two on Melber’s show.
In a call to Melber from prison on Tuesday, Avenatti told the MSNBC host that while he expected former President Donald Trump to be convicted in the Daniels “hush money” trial, the case also has several issues and would not damage Trump as much as some people have predicted.
After Melber asked Akerman for his thoughts on the interview, Akerman replied, “I wouldn’t take his word on either of those two things. He knows nothing about this case.”
Akerman continued, “He was not involved in the mechanics of the case. He was not involved in the payoffs. He was not involved in how it was set up. He’s not a witness in this case. The witnesses in this case are, it’s not just Michael Cohen like he says, it’s also David Pecker, who was the head of the National Inquirer.”
“When you say he doesn’t know things, you mean he was not the lawyer at the time that this went down?” asked Melber, to which Akerman responded, “Right. He has no personal knowledge.”
Melber argued:
He does know a lot of things that most people don’t know, whether you like it or not. I mean, you might be thinking that he’s just criticizing the D.A. or whatever your reasons are, but Avenatti knows what Stormy Daniels’ state of mind was at the time that this came out in ’18. He knows how he dealt with Mr. Cohen at that time. He and Mr. Cohen both ended up going to prison.
Akerman snapped, “But Avenatti’s not gonna be a witness in this case. He’s got nothing, zero, to do with it. He has no knowledge as to any of the allegations in this complaint.”
Melber shot back, “I would say based on the situation, he’s unlikely to be a witness, but for our reporting purposes, you don’t know who all the witnesses will be.”
The argument went on:
Akerman: I can tell you one that’s not gonna be up there and that’s Avenatti.
Melber: Did the D.A. tell you that?
Akerman: No, but there is no way any reasonable District Attorney would ever put that guy on the witness stand.
Melber: I appreciate that as legal analysis. In our reporting, though, there’s a difference there when we don’t know who the witnesses are going to be.
Akerman then mocked, “Well, we don’t know, but it could be Santa Claus too. It’s not gonna be Avenatti.”
Watch above via MSNBC.
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