NBC is helping Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti in their shakedown
Any doubt was put to rest this week that NBC is promoting Stormy Daniels' extortion campaign against the White House solely for the sake of taunting the president.
Michael Avenatti, the unofficial legal correspondent for the network, and who also moonlights as a lawyer representing Daniels, said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he would reveal more information about one of the most explosive threats he’s made against President Trump — but only if “Morning Joe” would devote a whole episode to it.
“You told me before we went on the air, not to ask you about the DVD,” show host Mika Brzezinski said to Avenatti, referring to a photo of a disc he tweeted in late March, suggesting it had images related to Trump and his alleged affair with Daniels in 2006. “You’re not going to release the DVD. But what is on the DVD?”
Avennati said he wasn’t going to discuss the DVD.
“It’s not important what’s on it?” replied Brzezinski.
“No, it’s very important,” said Avenatti. “We can have a whole show — If you’ll devote a show to what’s on the DVD, maybe we’ll release it.”
That’s how serious the public should be taking this: The lawyer for Daniels is using his client to get an hour of his face on NBC’s cable news arm.
Before Brzezinski could challenge Avenatti any more, her co-host Joe Scarborough chimed in, “Ms. Brzezinski, stop badgering the witness,” in a helpful reminder that they’re not there to critically interview Avenatti, but to allow him as much time as needed to screw with the White House.
Question: What about the millions of dollars in tax liens the IRS has placed on Avenatti's personal properties, business, and law firm? Is that of interest to anyone? Anybody?
Joe Scarborough: Stop badgering the witness!
Avenatti’s appearance on "Morning Joe" came the morning after NBC reported on documents he said he has that show a $500,000 payment made to Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, from a Russian oligarch. Avenatti said the payment was used in part for the $130,000 settlement Cohen paid to Daniels for her silence about the affair.
In reporting the story, NBC said it had “reviewed” Avenatti’s documents and that they “appear to support” his claims.
“Appear to support” is NBC’s way of saying: We don’t know, but we sort of trust our unpaid legal correspondent Michael Avenatti; but if he’s wrong, just remember that we only said “appear to support,” and we didn’t confirm anything!
Columbus Nova, the company that paid Michael Cohen and which Avenatti said is run by the Russian oligarch, rebutted Avenatti in a statement and said that it is controlled and owned by Americans.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Columbus Nova's "biggest client is a company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, the Russian oligarch," but not that it was under his watch in any capacity.
But even if it were run by a Russian, Avenatti also said that Cohen had received payments from AT&T, Korea Aerospace Industries, and the pharmaceutical company Novartis.
If Cohen was functioning as a lobbyist with access to the White House, so what?
None of it means anything right now, but because Avenatti said “Russia,” people are supposed to think it must matter.
We were reminded once again that this is a racket when Stormy Daniels did her part for #TheResistance and she appeared last weekend on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”
In a skit with Alec Baldwin impersonating Trump — which is never funny, as affirmed by former SNL cast member Rob Schneider — Daniels said Trump should resign.
The audience applauded rather than laugh because it wasn’t funny. But either way, Daniels and Avenatti continued to raise their national profile and capacity to profit off a scam with the eager help of NBC.
Avenatti and Daniels have appeared on other TV programs as well, but so ubiquitous are their faces on NBC that Daily Beast politics reporter Gideon Resnick joked Tuesday on Twitter that the two are "living at the NBC studios."
It’s a money shakedown that should make Al Sharpton blush.
By the way, Sharpton also works for NBC.
https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/nbc-is-helping-stormy-daniels-and-michael-avenatti-in-their-shakedown