Democrats and liberal pundits are uneasy about the way left-wing attorney Michael Avenatti has inserted himself into the controversy surrounding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but Avenatti doesn’t plan on backing down.
Avenatti claims to have evidence — which he has not yet produced — that Kavanaugh was involved in a series of gang rapes in high school. When asked about Avenatti’s claim during a Fox News interview Monday, Kavanaugh volunteered that he remained a virgin through high school and several years afterward.
Senate Democrats have been hesitant to promote Avenatti’s claims and liberal pundits have expressed alarm that if Avenatti is bluffing, he could harm their efforts to stop Kavanaugh.
“We don’t know who Michael Avenatti’s clients actually are. But if he’s overhyped the information he has for attention, he will have done real damage to the anti-Kavanaugh efforts — and will deserve to be exiled from cable TV and public life,â€Â wrote Vox blogger Zack Beauchamp.
Katherine Krueger, managing editor of liberal website Splinter, said Avenatti “could easily risk hurting the movement to keep Kanavaugh off of the Supreme Court.â€
Avenatti called concerns about his involvement “complete nonsense and ridiculous†in an email to The Daily Caller News Foundation on Tuesday.
“They have no idea what they are talking about,†Avenatti added of his liberal critics.
Senate Democrats have kept their distance from Avenatti’s unproven claims about Kavanaugh. (RELATED: Liberals Are Treating Avenatti Like A Serious 2020 Candidate)
“Mr. Avenatti has a tendency to sensationalize and make his various crusades more about himself than about getting at the truth,†a senior Senate Democratic aide told The Daily Beast. “This moment calls for the exact opposite.â€
“You know I never have no comment, but I have no comment about Michael Avenatti,†Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz told Politico.
“Until we have more information, there’s not much that anyone can do with that,†Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren told Politico.
Avenatti first shot to media stardom by representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump.
Since then, however, Avenatti has increasingly made himself a fixture on the political scene and is considering running for president in 2020.
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