On Tuesday, slimy celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti announced he would not be running for president in 2020, and suggested that most of the top Democratic contenders for that cycle do not have a realistic chance of defeating President Donald Trump.
“I remain concerned that the Democratic Party wil move toward nominating an individual who might make an exceptional President but has no chance of actually beating Donald Trump,” Avenatti declared in a statement announcing he would not run. “The party must immediately recognize that many of the likely candidates are not battletested and have no real chance at winning.”
Please see my statement below regarding 2020. pic.twitter.com/ztCfZUY6hA
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) December 4, 2018
According to a recent survey, a majority of county Democratic Party leaders in Iowa would prefer a young candidate. A New Hampshire poll from earlier this year found former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in the lead, however.
If Avenatti is correct that a “battletested” candidate would do better, Joe Biden or even Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) may foot the bill. Both are extremely old, however, and many younger Democrats seem intent to carry Sanders’ message into the 2020 primary.
Avenatti predicted that Democrats “will not prevail in 2020 without a fighter.” He launched “The Fight PAC” and released an ad urging Democrats to join his “fight club.”
As for himself, the creepy porn lawyer insisted he would be running for president if it weren’t for that pesky wife and kids. “After consultation with my family and at their request, I have decided not to seek the Presidency of the United States in 2020,” he said in a statement. “I do not make this decision lightly – I make it out of respect for my family. But for their concerns, I would run.”
Recent events suggest Avenatti has many more reasons besides his family to reconsider a run. Last month, he was busted for felony domestic violence. In October, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley referred Avenatti and his client, Julie Swetnick, to the DOJ for an investigation into whether or not he lied to the Senate committee, a felony charge. Swetnick contradicted her own testimony in media interviews.
The lawyer has an extremely shady past. He has faced lawsuits for lying about financial matters with a partner and refusing to pay another former partner. Earlier this year, the State Bar of California investigated him for buying “a company out of bankruptcy and then [using] it for a ‘pump and dump’ scheme to deprive federal and state taxing authorities out of millions of dollars.”
Any Avenatti 2020 campaign would have struggled to get off the ground.
Even Stormy Daniels, the porn star whose lawsuit made Avenatti famous, has recently turned on him. She claimed she never intended to sue President Trump, but the lawyer pushed her to do it. Earlier today, the porn star said of Avenatti, “Sometimes people just need a swift kick in the ass.”
The creepy porn lawyer pledged to keep trucking on, fighting for the … little guy?
“I will continue to represent Stormy Daniels and others against Donald Trump and his cronies and will not rest until Trump is removed from office, and our republic and its values are restored,” the would-be 2020 candidate declared. “I will also continue with my nearly twenty years of speaking truth to power and representing those who need an advocate against the powerful.”
Democrats really dodged a bullet when Avenatti’s family kept the porn lawyer from running for president. But the lawyer had a very good point — how many Democratic candidates really have a chance at beating Trump?
Follow the author of this article on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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