Arrivederci Avenatti: Remembering the Attorney the Media Loved to Love

Michael Avenatti, Esq., is going to jail.

Stormy Daniels’s erstwhile attorney — Daniels reacted to Avenatti’s initial arrest in March 2019 by professing to be “saddened but not shocked” — was found guilty of  attempted extortion, among other crimes, last February. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

To many, Avenatti’s true character was readily apparent from the jump. To others — many of them journalists tasked with interpreting and explaining Avenatti’s actions to more casual observers of politics — he was the hero they deserved but didn’t need.

–Aaron Blake of the Washington Post evaluated Avenatti as the 14th strongest contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, observing that “Democrats are starting to warm to his brash, in-your-face style.”

-CNN’s Brian Stelter, self-proclaimed procurer of Reliable Sources, invited Avenatti on to his cable news show of the same name, informing him that “one reason I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news.” Irony, thy name is Stelter.

–Ana Navarro felt a spiritual connection to the (loosely defined) legal professional, telling him on The View that “lately to me, you’re like the Holy Spirit.”

-Also on The View, Joy Behar sensed a higher purpose for Avenatti, declaring that he had been “out there saving the country” and chiding her cohosts by observing that “he has a bigger calling here, being a lawyer is minimal compared to what he’s doing.”

-MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell asserted that Donald Trump was “afraid to mention” Avenatti’s name. His colleague Joe Scarborough, seemingly in awe of both Avenatti’s power and O’Donnell’s analysis, deemed the phenomenon “fascinating.”

-This was a point to which O’Donnell returned repeatedly, also calling Trump “terrified” of Avenatti and arguing that there was “no doubt he has created sheer panic in Donald Trump’s very fragile mind.”

-Another MSNBC host, Nicolle Wallace, praised Avenatti for “hit[ting] a lot of the right notes” in a speech at the Iowa state fair. Guest and Washington Post senior correspondent Philip Rucker concurred, saying that he stood out in the Democratic field.

-He had yet another admirer in Eddie Glaude Jr., who called him “a beast.” Another panelist chimed in, “OK that’s true, he’s a beast.”

-Stephen Colbert believed Avenatti to be “an existential threat to the Trump presidency.”

–Politico Magazine published a piece contending that “Trump Should Fear Michael Avenatti More Than Bob Mueller.”

-The New York Times thought enough of Avenatti to host an op-ed from him. It called for Trump’s indictment and then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s recusal in any hypothetical case that might come before the Supreme Court.

The Washington Free Beacon was kind enough to collect and collate a good number of instances of Avenatti idol worship for your viewing pleasure or displeasure.

Avenatti’s quick and near complete capture of the hearts and minds of most in the mainstream media serves as not only a reminder of their biases but also proof that the affinity for domineering hucksters is a bipartisan one.