While many Americans are wondering when adult film star Stormy Daniels’ 15 minutes of infamy will expire, her attorney is continuing to milk the exposure and publicity for all it is worth.
Michael Avenatti, lawyer for Daniels — real name Stephanie Clifford — just begged supporters of the presidential accuser for more of their financial assistance in their lawsuit against Donald Trump and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
This promises to be a very busy week but our effort does not run itself. There are numerous expenses associated with cases like this and here, security costs alone are astronomical. We are short of our goal and need some help. Please go to https://t.co/lEHuXf9Ydk #Basta
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 4, 2018
Avenatti tweeted Monday, “This promises to be a very busy week but our effort does not run itself. There are numerous expenses associated with cases like this and here, security costs alone are astronomical. We are short of our goal and need some help.”
The tweet included a link to a crowdfunding account set up to receive donations on behalf of Daniels, or more accurately, on behalf of Avenatti’s attorney’s fees.
As of Tuesday morning, the fundraising campaign had raised nearly $567,000 toward a goal of $850,000 from more than 16,300 people, with still 10 days left prior to closure of the campaign.
Though it is unclear exactly what would constitute a “busy week” for Avenatti, other tweets and appearances made by him as part of his — in the words of a federal judge — “publicity tour” seem to indicate his belief that there are audiotapes possessed by Cohen which feature Trump’s voice.
The attorney clearly implied that he believes the audiotapes will ultimately be made public in the near future, either through illicit leaks or official release by the court.
Avenatti’s plea on Twitter for financial assistance came just days after he denied receiving any sort of funding from Democrat Party operatives and claimed to have turned down hundreds of thousands of dollars from anti-Trump Republicans, according to Newsweek.
On Friday, Avenatti stated that he had refused to accept roughly $200,000 from Republican Party supporters who sought to harm President Trump. He also denied reports that he had sought funding from high-level Democrat Party operatives as well as reports that a member of his firm had reached out to top Democrat donors for help.
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Though the attorney has not disclosed how much he is earning by representing Daniels’ legal challenge, it is widely presumed that he will walk away from the case with a hefty six-figure fee, likely with Daniels receiving the balance of the funds raised.
Every day this whole Stormy Daniels saga looks more and more like a publicity stunt designed to rake in as much money and fame as possible before the story is ultimately set aside and forgotten, thanks in large part to the actions of Avenatti.