Esquire Magazine is known for great interviews, not quite as lengthy as the ones in Playboy, but fine pieces nonetheless. This piece captures the essence of Michael Avenatti holding forth on Donald Trump and his cohorts. Esquire:
The president tweets at everyone who crosses him. Why hasn’t he tweeted at you?
He can’t handle a direct confrontation with me. He knows that I’ll hand him his ass.
So you think he’s afraid of you?
I do. And I think he should be.
How do you think he chooses his targets then?
He chooses targets that he perceives to be weak. Like most bullies.
What do all the president’s pardons this week say about his attitude towards the law?
He has no respect for the rule of law. He’s lived his entire life as if he is above the rule of law, and you’ve seen that belief manifest itself in the way that he has conducted himself, including by way of his use of pardons.
Avenatti has made a seamless segue this week from lawyer to media spokesman in the Michael Cohen case, and perhaps that’s why he’s so candid.
Speaking of Giuliani, why do the lawyers you come up against keep making so many mistakes?
This is one of the great mysteries of this case. Frankly, I am shocked at the complete level of incompetence exhibited by lawyer after lawyer for Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump. It is astounding to me that with all the lawyers in America, these are the best they can find, and I think it speaks volumes as to the lack of respect that both Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen command when dealing with professionals and people of a significant intellectual capacity.
Do you think that Mr. Trump knows what’s illegal or immoral and he doesn’t care? Or, do you think he struggles to even see those distinctions?
Oh, I think he understands the distinctions, but he just doesn’t give a shit.
And what about Cohen? Is he just getting ordered around?
Well, I would echo the same comments that I made relating to Trump. He clearly knows what is right and wrong, and again, just doesn’t give a shit, does what he wants to do, believes that he can get away with it, believes that he’s above the law, and it’s about to come back and bite him in a very big way.
And the Cohen tapes are going to be very big news, predicts Avenatti.
Would their disclosure potentially be a turning point?
The disclosure of the existence of this case and subsequently the disclosure of the actually content of the tapes will prove to be a seminal moment not only for Mr. Cohen, but for the presidency of the United States.
You know definitively that the president’s voice is on these tapes, or at least one?
Correct.
All the opposition research facilities of Breitbart, Daily Caller and Fox News have yielded little to ruffle Avenatti’s feathers. It will be interesting to see if Trump confronts Avenatti head on, or if he leaves it to Rudy, who also has been silent on Avenatti for a few weeks.
