Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti is coming across "much more as a political operative" than he does a lawyer, but, he’s just a "sideshow" and not in the "center ring," former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Thursday.
"Lawyers come, lawyers go, and they try to get on TV as much as they can," Fleischer, now a Fox News contributor, told "Fox & Friends" program.
"In this case I don't see what the lawyering is. He comes across much more as a political operative. If that's what he wants to do he is entitled to do that."
However, he pointed out, Avenatti's client has already gotten a $130,000 payoff, but "spilled the beans."
"I don't know what the legal issues are that he is representing other than he wants to take Donald Trump down," said Fleischer.
Networks like CNN and MSNBC are putting Avenatti on with political advocates, said Fleischer, and it's "astounding" how frequently they are having him on.
At the end of the day, the "real lawyer here" is special counsel Robert Mueller, Fleischer added.
"The real issue that the White House deals with is Bob Mueller," he said. "What's happening with Michael Cohen and with Michael avenatti is a sideshow. This is not relevant to the Trump presidency in any serious legal or political way, and so I have never seen somebody who is a sideshow get so much TV. "
Fleischer added that he would suggest Trump ignore Avenatti, as Mueller is the only threat to the White House.
"That's a receding threat, frankly, because there is no evidence of collusion anywhere," said Fleischer. "Focus on what's important and the things that are the sideshows, let them be the sideshows. Probably the most painful thing for Avenatti is to be treated as the sideshow. He wants center ring. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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