Michael Avenatti’s roadshow has come to an end, Save Jerseyans.
On Thursday, the anti-Trump attorney, grifter and former media darling was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for extorting Nike, and that’s not the end of it. There are other trials in his immediate future, too. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
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“Michael Avenatti used illegal and extortionate threats and betrayed one of his clients for the purpose of seeking to obtain millions of dollars for himself,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss. “Not only did Avenatti attempt to weaponize his law license and celebrity to seek to extort payments for himself, he also defrauded his own client. Avenatti will now serve substantial time in prison for his criminal conduct.”
That’s all true, but Avenatti’s crimes go deeper (and get darker) than harming any one legal client. Avenatti and his enablers have been at the center of some of the past few year’s most shameful media-hyped storylines. The Stormy Daniels suit. Russiagate. The Kavanaugh accusations. All along the way, the Media asked few serious questions, did little-to-no fact-checking, and showered Avenatti with praise and affection simply because he was a charismatic (and obnoxious) spokesperson for the “Orange Man Bad” movement. During one particularly infamous appearance on The View, Ana Navarro compared Avenatti to the Holy Spirit…
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“Did everybody with power in mainstream news media fall for Michael Avenatti’s act simultaneously, or did they know the score and simply not care?” The Daily Beast‘s Erin Ryan opined following the sentencing.
I can answer that: it was definitely the second part, Erin. They didn’t give a shit.
He served the narrative, and I believe the Avenatti saga will one day be looked upon as the definitive moment when major American media outlets abandoned any semblance of journalistic integrity and went full-on activist.
What should trouble everyone with a conscience and a care for our country: Avenatti is collecting his just reward, but the Media power brokers who enabled him are still at-large.
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