Avenatti: Trump should be indicted for committing ‘felonies designed to get him elected’
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, said Saturday that Trump should be indicted “for committing the two felonies designed to get him elected.”
“.@realDonaldTrump should be indicted for committing the two felonies designed to get him elected. Now,” Avenatti tweeted. “No court has ever ruled that the POTUS cannot be indicted and there is nothing in the constitution that states as much. It is time for the SCOTUS to decide the issue.”
.@realDonaldTrump should be indicted for committing the two felonies designed to get him elected. Now. No court has ever ruled that the POTUS cannot be indicted and there is nothing in the constitution that states as much. It is time for the SCOTUS to decide the issue.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) December 8, 2018
Avenatti’s tweet came one day after federal prosecutors in New York for the first time said President Trump directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to make two illegal payments during the 2016 election.
In their latest filing, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York stated Cohen “acted in coordination with and at the direction of” Trump before the presidential campaign in arranging payments to silence Daniels and Karen McDougal, who both claim to have had affairs with Trump. Trump has denied the affairs.
{mosads}Cohen previously implicated Trump regarding the payments when he pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations, in addition to other counts involving bank and tax fraud.
The $130,000 payment to Daniels came directly from Cohen, but prosecutors stated that he “falsely indicated that the purpose of the wire was to pay a ‘retainer.’ ” Cohen then sought reimbursement from Trump’s campaign after the election for the payment, which was granted.
Avenatti is representing Daniels in her suit over a nondisclosure agreement meant to keep her quiet about her alleged affair with Trump.
The high-profile lawyer’s relationship appeared to be at odds with Daniels after she claimed last week that he sued Trump for defamation without her permission. A federal judge dismissed the suit in October.
Daniels said earlier this week that the two had mended their public rift.
He announced this week that he would not run for president after floating the prospect of running against Trump.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.