Rudy Giuliani jabbed the attorney for adult-film actress Stormy Daniels on Thursday, saying lawyer Michael Avenatti should turn in his license to practice law.
Giuliani, a member of President Trump’s legal team, called the publicity-savvy Avenatti an “ambulance chaser” and “complete jerk” over his recent comments that the president will be forced to resign over payments surrounding his alleged affair with Daniels.
“The American people can smell extortion,” the former New York City mayor said on Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade’s program, calling Daniels’s lawsuit an attempt to defame Trump.
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Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing to nullify a nondisclosure agreement she signed to stay quiet about her alleged affair with Trump over a decade ago. Daniels is also suing Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen, who helped broker the agreement, for defamation.
Giuliani revealed Wednesday night in a Fox News interview that Trump had repaid Cohen for the $130,000 he paid Daniels to not discuss the alleged affair in the weeks before the 2016 election.
Cohen and Trump could face legal liability over the payment, especially if it is deemed an illicit campaign contribution.
The mayor said in the radio interview he was “sure” he helped the case by his shocking revelations, which contradicted previous statements by Trump and the White House. Giuliani tried to clarify on Friday that his statements reflected his understanding of the repayment, which Trump said occurred via a legal retainer for Cohen.
Avenatti said he was left “speechless” by the revelation, saying that Trump’s story should “outrage” Americans.