Michael Avenatti Gets Very Testy in CNN Debate with Alan Dershowitz

July 28th, 2018 11:46 PM

Apparently the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, gets very very touchy if he is criticized. In fact he takes it quite personally even when its not. 

Such was the case Friday on Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees when famed attorney Alan Dershowitz dared to criticize Avenatti on strictly legal grounds. Avenatti responded by whining that Dershowitz was getting personal even though it was obvious he was not as you can see in their heated debate. 

ANDERSON COOPER: Well, Professor, I mean about those tapes, you tweeted yesterday, "I didn't say Michael Avenatti was wrong, but that if he's right, how did he access that confidential information, talking about there being more tapes. He implied there were more Trump tapes. Giuiliani says there's only one with Trump's voice. Let's see whose right." Do you stand by that?

Uh-oh! Cooper just lit the fuse, leading to the explosions about to follow.

ALAN DERSHOWITZ: Well, I don't want to get personal at all. But I think it's hard to imagine how he could have lawfully gotten ahold of those tapes. He did, according to press reports, have a conversation with Mr. Cohen at a restaurant, and that raises some questions because, you know, you're not allowed to speak to somebody whose counseled, who has a lawyer and ask him do you want to work together to hurt Trump. So I'm -- I don't know whether that occurred. But if it did occur, i think Michael has to do some explaining.

COOPER: Michael?

MICHAEL AVENATTI: Well, Alan, let me say this. You keep saying you don't want to get personal with me, and you keep getting personal with me, including on Fox the other night.... I'm going to tell you, I don't appreciate it. I'm willing to put up my track record over the last six months in this case up against yours any day of the week. I have been very, very accurate in my predictions, in the statements that I've made, and the facts. And the fact of the matter is on Sunday, you expressed considerable doubt as to whether I knew what I was talking about, and within 48 hours, I was -- no, let me finish -- within 48 hours I was proven right.

Even when the criticism is legal, for thin-skinned Avenatti it is personal.

DERSHOWITZ: I said it was true. I said it was true what you're talking about and that's why it needs some explanation. You did guarantee the American public back in May that President Trump would resign. We're watching our watches and waiting to see if that prediction comes true. That's the one prediction that you really staked your reputation on. So your reputation will turn on whether he does resign or not.

AVENATTI: Well, Alan, let me tell you. I'm going to determine what my reputation turns on, not you. I've made many predictions that will have been...

Touchy! Touchy! Touchy! With all that experience of hundreds of appearances on CNN and MSNBC over the past year you would figure that by now Avenatti would have enough on-camera experience to maintain his cool. 

Avenatti's internal temperature kept on rising until it boiled over and it was he who got personal with Dershowitz.

AVENATTI: Alan, you really need to start talking only about things that you know about, as opposed to things that you have no knowledge about. You have no knowledge of the communications that went on between me and Michael Cohen's representatives long before that -- long before that -- no, you don't know what you're talk about, Alan, long before that restaurant meeting. You have no idea about the communications that went on relating to a particular or proposed level of cooperation. You just make it up as you go along. You need to go back...

DERSHOWITZ: So let me ask you this particular question.

AVENATTI: You need to go back.

COOPER: Let him finish.

AVENATTI: No, you need to go back -- you need to go back and concentrate on what invites you're getting on Martha's Vineyard since that appears to be what you're really good at.

And Avenatti was complaining about getting personal? 

Finally, poor Avenatti set himself up for a slam dunk by Dershowitz:

COOPER: Michael, let me just ask you last, I want to ask you about the three additional women you say you're representing. You said they're also paid hush money. Can you tell us any more when that hush money was allegedly paid or anything else about the alleged relationships and any proof that they happened?

AVENATTI: In 2015 and 2016, and I find it very interesting that we haven't seen a denial from Donald Trump or Michael Cohen all day. I would think that if I was wrong, we would have seen a denial. And, Alan, I feel sorry for the students that you taught legal ethics too by the way, because you didn't teach them the truth. 

Bada-Bing.....

DERSHOWITZ: Well, they've become justices of the Supreme Court,  judges...

Bada-BOOM!!!