A lawyer for President Donald Trump said in a court filing Monday night that he wants Stormy Daniels‘ lawyer Michael Avenatti to testify under oath in Daniels’ defamation case against the president. Tuesday, Avenatti said he’s ready to do it … as long as President Donald Trump does it first.
Mr. Trump now claims through his lawyer Mr. Harder that he wants me deposed under oath. No problem. Let’s schedule Trump’s deposition (which we have been seeking for months) & then mine for the next day. I will go anywhere in the world except Russia. I only need 48 hours notice.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) July 24, 2018
The defamation case has to do with Trump’s reaction after Avenatti showed a forensic sketch of a person who allegedly threatened to harm Daniels in 2011 if she spoke against Trump. Trump called the sketch “a total con job” that was “about a nonexistent man.” Daniels’ claims this response was defamatory because it called her credibility into question. Harder said in his court filing that he would want Avenatti to testify regarding the sketch.
“No problem,” Avenatti said in a tweet. “Let’s schedule Trump’s deposition (which we have been seeking for months) & then mine for the next day.”
Avenatti said he only needs 48 hours notice to prepare, and would travel anywhere for it, “except Russia.”
Harder’s court filing was a motion to move the defamation case against Trump from New York to California where Daniels’ original case against Trump and Michael Cohen is located, claiming that it arises from the same facts. Harder argued that in the alternative, the defamation case should be dismissed or put on hold until after the first case has been taken care of.
[Image via ABC screengrab]
