Transcript: Michael Avenatti on "Face the Nation," May 6, 2018
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who recently joined President Trump's legal team, sent shockwaves through Washington last week. Giuliani revealed that the president had reimbursed $130,000 in hush money that attorney Michael Cohen paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels at the end of the 2016 election.
The revelation raised questions about what the president knew and when.
The following is a transcript of the interview with Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti that aired Sunday, May 6, 2018, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to Michael Avenatti. He is the attorney representing Stormy Daniels and he joins us live from Los Angeles. Michael your client appeared last night on Saturday Night Live. Rudy Giuliani said it's another sign that it's just hard to take this case seriously. How would you respond to him?
MICHAEL AVENATTI: Well I don't think her appearance on Saturday Night Live has anything to do with whether it's a serious case bargain or not. I think that over the last few months we've proven to be very serious about this case in fact far more serious than Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump, or now Mr. Giuliani. I mean this is the rope-a-dope defense that we're seeing play out over the last week or so.
BRENNAN: OK I think we're having some audio issues there. And so, can we hear what Michael is saying right now? Okay, I'll move on. Mr. Avenatti, do you believe that in many ways your client's case against the president, I've heard you say, has gotten stronger over the past few days. What specifically did Rudy Giuliani give you in terms of ammunition?
AVENATTI: Well there's no question it's gotten considerably stronger and it's even gotten stronger this morning. You know the more they talk the better our case gets and here's why. Because they can't keep their stories straight. They can't keep their lies straight. They keep providing further explanations upon explanations because they don't want to tell the American people the truth about what happened here. I mean you just heard Kellyanne Conway state that basically no doesn't mean no I mean they're now redefining what the word no means on Air Force One trying to reshape the answer to that question. And Margaret, I have to tell you I would urge people to go back and take a look at the statement that Michael Cohen issued back in late February or early March where he denied basically that Mr. Trump had reimbursed the payment. And he claimed he had done it all on his own. I mean we now know that that was an absolute lie. And at the time he was representing the president it's pretty clear to people what is going on here and It's a cover up.
BRENNAN: You have called to depose the president. Last time you filed to do this a federal judge says no, you're moving too quickly. That was back in March. Do you have any new update on that?
AVENATTI: Well that's actually correct that the judge initially said that on a procedural matter because it was premature and we then we filed the motion and that motion is pending and we're hopeful that the court is going to rule on it. But I have to tell you that with each passing day with more and more statements made by Mr. Giuliani, Ms. Conway now, Michael Cohen's attorneys, and others the likelihood of us being able to place this president under oath I think has gone up exponentially and I'm looking forward to that time I mean maybe we can ask him what he meant by the word no during that deposition although I think people know -
BRENNAN: What would your first question be?
AVENATTI: Well I'm not going to - I'm not going to disclose my first question. But we've got a whole host of questions. But let me say this, the idea that Mr. Giuliani that he still doesn't know what the facts are. I mean this is not a complicated situation Margaret. You could have a 30 minute meeting with a client which takes place with attorneys and clients all the time and get to the bottom of many, many of these issues. The reason why he claims to not know the facts now is because they don't know what to say because they told so many lies.
BRENNAN: The Trump campaign faced accusations around the time that this payment was made to your client Stormy Daniels. There were at least 19 women who accuse the president of assault, harassment, other kinds of unwanted sexual advances. Your client claims a consensual relationship with the president. Why do you think that this kind of nondisclosure agreement, this kind of very different approach to your client was adopted instead of simply denying it as they did around 20 other women.
AVENATTI: You know I can't answer that except to say that I think that Mr. Trump knows that this is true. That there's no question that this relationship occurred. There's no question that the intimacy occurred, and yet you know he's tried to cover it up. They've tried to distance themselves from the agreement, distanced themselves from the payment, distanced themselves from the reimbursement. I mean Margaret all you have to do is look at how they now claim the reimbursement occurred to know that something doesn't smell right. If it was all above board why wouldn't he have just written the check or sent a wire transfer to Michael Cohen of 130,000 dollars. Why this whole scheme? I don't get it.
BRENNAN: Michael Avenatti, thank you very much for joining us.
