CNN analyst Mark Geragos said to be Avenatti’s alleged co-conspirator

The alleged co-conspirator in an extortion case against celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti is believed to be CNN legal analyst Mark Geragos. Geragos, 61, was not named in the criminal complaint against Avenatti. Two people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the co-conspirator, referred to in the document as "CC-1"," a California attorney "known for representation of celebrity and public figure clients," was Geragos. It is not known whether Geragos has been charged or is cooperating with investigators.

One of the best-known criminal defense lawyers in America, Geragos' clients have included footballer Colin Kaepernick, the late singer Michael Jackson, actress Winona Ryder, former congressman Gary Condit, jailed Clinton associate Susan McDougal, murderer Scott Peterson, former hockey player Scott Barney, and actor Jussie Smollett.

Avenatti and a co-conspirator allegedly threatened to hold a news conference on the eve of Nike’s quarterly earnings call and the start of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament to publicize alleged misconduct and maximize the damage such information could inflict on the company. If Nike’s lawyers wanted them to remain quiet, Avenatti said, they would need to be paid between $15 million and $25 million to conduct an “internal investigation” into the athletics apparel company. Avenatti said they would agree to a $22.5 million hush-money payment from Nike if the company did not want to keep them on retainer.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/cnn-legal-analyst-mark-geragos-said-to-be-avenattis-alleged-co-conspirator

Court rejects challenge to Trump's steel tariffs

The Court of International Trade, the body that hears constitutional challenges to federal trade policy, rejected an effort to overturn President Trump's 25 percent tariffs on steel imports on Monday. The American Institute for International Steel, a trade association, had sued the administration, arguing that the president exceeded his authority when he claimed last year that the tariff was justified under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which involves protecting "national security." The court said Monday that it lacked the authority to second-guess the president's decision.

"[I]dentifying the line between regulation of trade in furtherance of national security and an impermissible encroachment into the role of Congress could be elusive in some cases because judicial review would allow neither an inquiry into the president’s motives nor a review of his fact-finding," a three-judge panel said. A spokesman for the institute could not be reached for comment, but its website characterizes the lawsuit as "an ongoing legal battle that may well end up before the Supreme Court." A Commerce Department spokesman declined to comment.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/court-rejects-challenge-to-trumps-steel-tariffs

United States Court of International Trade

https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/about-court

AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STEEL, INC., SIM-TEX, LP, and KURT ORBAN PARTNERS, LLC v. UNITED STATES and KEVIN K. MCALEENAN, Commissioner, United States Customs and Border Protection,

https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/files/19-37.pdf