Three weeks have passed since the start of the New York hush-money trial against Donald Trump, one of four legal cases against the former president. The latest witness, Hope Hicks, a former White House official and longtime Trump adviser, was compelled to testify by prosecutors who are hoping her remarks would help them prove that Trump wanted to influence the 2016 presidential election with the payment made to adult star Stormy Daniels via Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen.
The impact
The hush money case, according to experts, is the weakest of all four cases against Trump, but it’s almost certain that the trial in all the other cases would be delayed until after the November general election. Trump’s legal teams’ tactics to prolong trials in the cases for as long as possible are working. The presumptive Republican presidential candidate could eventually only focus on the presidential campaign and order the Department of Justice to bury the cases against him if re-elected.
Conviction
If Trump is found guilty in the New York hush money case, it won’t impact the voters’ decision to cast their vote for him in November. In a recent survey, it was revealed that voters in the key battleground states of Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Michigan indicated that a guilty verdict for former President Donald Trump in his New York trial wouldn’t change their support for him in the upcoming election. But Trump could receive huge help in the trial from someone he hadn’t counted on at all—the former Stormy Daniels attorney.
Michael Avenatti
Michael Avenatti, previously a lawyer for Stormy Daniels and now serving a prison sentence, has revealed he’s in contact with Donald Trump’s defense team for the former president’s hush money trial. He told the New York Post that he might testify on Trump’s behalf, although it’s not confirmed if he will be called. Since the beginning of the year, Avenatti has been communicating regularly with Trump’s lawyers.
Avenatti controversial history
Currently, Avenatti is in a minimum-security federal prison in Los Angeles, Terminal Island, serving a 19-year term for crimes including extortion, tax evasion, and fraud. He did not share specifics of his discussions with Trump’s legal team. Avenatti became well-known in 2018 during the Stormy Daniels case, where he represented the adult film actress, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford.
Avenatti changed the direction
Previously a vocal opponent of Trump, Avenatti has changed his stance. He now supports Trump and believes there are parallels between their legal challenges.
“There’s no question [the trial] is politically motivated because they’re concerned that he may be reelected,” Avenatti told the Post.
“If the defendant was anyone other than Donald Trump, this case would not have been brought at this time, and for the government to attempt to bring this case and convict him in an effort to prevent tens of millions of people from voting for him, I think it’s just flat out wrong, and atrocious,” he said.
“I’m really bothered by the fact that Trump, in my view, has been targeted. Four cases is just over the top and I think there’s a significant chance that this is going to all backfire and is going to propel him to the White House,” Avenatti added.
“Depending on what happens, this could constitute pouring jet fuel on his campaign.”
A beef with his former client
In 2020, Michael Avenatti was found guilty of attempting to extort up to $25 million from Nike. Two years later, in 2022, he was convicted for embezzling $300,000 from Stormy Daniels’s book advance. Additionally, he admitted guilt to charges of federal fraud and tax evasion. Daniels, who had a major role in his legal downfall, testified against him and was notably critical afterward. Avenatti expressed no shock at Daniels’s willingness to testify against Trump if required.
“Stormy Daniels is going to say whatever she believes is going to assist Stormy Daniels and putting more money in her pocket,” Avenatti said. “If Stormy Daniels’s lips are moving, she’s lying for money.”
