Michael Avenatti went on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, and it was 100 percent uncomfortable

published 14 September 2018

It started with an insult, crescendoed with talk of President Trump's condom use, and ended with Tucker Carlson laughing at his own joke.

Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against Trump and his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, appeared on Carlson's Fox News show Thursday night, and before he even said a word, the chyron on the screen described Avenatti as a "creepy porn lawyer." Carlson started by asking him about comments he made regarding Russia, and Avenatti said Trump should "not be standing shoulder to shoulder with Vladimir Putin and choosing Russia over the hardworking men and women of the intelligence community that risk their lives for this country. The president has sold out the United States for the benefit of Putin."

Carlson accused Avenatti of using "reckless rhetoric on a subject you don't really understand," to which Avenatti responded, "I stand by my words, and I think for you to lecture me about reckless rhetoric is rather ironic, Tucker, in light of some of the reckless rhetoric you engage in each and every day on this show." He then started asking the questions, specifically, "Why don't you call Donald Trump the 'creepy porn president,' he's the one that had sex with a 4-month-old son at home with my client without a condom."

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Carlson accused Avenatti of "exploiting" and profiting from Daniels. Why, Carlson asked, was Daniels working at strip clubs with people "throwing things at her" while Avenatti was on TV wearing $1,000 suits? Avenatti called the charge "absurd." After some back and forth, Avenatti asked Carlson how someone so "ignorant" could have his own show, and asked: "Do you have that big a problem with porn? When's the last time you watched porn?" Carlson shot back that he views "humiliation porn, that's why I watch you on CNN," then laughed, loudly. If you have a high tolerance for awkwardness, watch below.Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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