Michael Avenatti Mocks Donald Trump's Claim That Intelligent People 'Loved' His Putin Press Conference
Stormy Daniels's lawyer turned presidential critic Michael Avenatti ridiculed President Donald Trump for claiming that many intelligent people "loved" his widely criticized press conference alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
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"So many people at the higher ends of intelligence loved my press conference performance in Helsinki," Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning, two days after the joint press conference. "Putin and I discussed many important subjects at our earlier meeting. We got along well which truly bothered many haters who wanted to see a boxing match. Big results will come!"
Avenatti quickly quoted Trump's tweet and wrote, "Me, myself and I do not qualify as 'so many people at the higher ends of intelligence.'"
Democrats and even some top Republican leaders denounced Trump for failing to criticize Putin on Monday and seemingly siding with the Russian president's denial of meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump's highly scrutinized remark was: "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."
Following Trump's presser, Avenatti called Monday "one of the most shameful days in our history."
"Our president chose a foreign power over our own people, especially those who toil to keep us safe," Avenatti tweeted, reflecting the views of many Americans. "We need to bring those who attacked us, and Mr. Trump himself, to justice."
The U.S. intelligence community also pushed back on Trump's statement, while Trump's Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats quickly reiterated his agency's findings.
"We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy," Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said in a statement. "And we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security."
Trump sought to "clarify" his statement on Wednesday, saying, "The sentence should have been, 'I don't see any reason why I wouldn't, or why it wouldn't be Russia' instead of 'why it would.' I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place."
Avenatti—who gained national attention representing adult film star Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, in her lawsuit against Trump and a nondisclosure agreement over their alleged affair—has since taken on clients affected by the president's policy separating migrant families and attended rallies against him.
