Top Comments: the Rise & Fall of Michael Avenatti edition

A look at a modern-day Icarus (and how we should react) after the jump ….

But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.

The first adult book that I ever read as a child (and became a fan of its author) was William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich — and that theme has been used often in journalism. Likewise, the Greek mythological figure Icarus— who rejected his father’s warning, flew too-close-to-the-sun and perished as a result.

With regards to the celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti, both themes are found in abundance to his meteoric rise and collapse. I’m at a loss for how to avoid having someone get too close to us without an early warning system — Senator John Edwards being a case-in-point — and perhaps others can offer ideas. First, it might do well to look at his background: as someone who doesn’t follow celebrity attorneys the way some cable shows do, there were some aspects that I found interesting to note upon review … actually, dumbfounding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Born in Sacramento, California, his family spent time in Utah and Colorado before his father moved the family to St. Louis (as an Anheuser-Busch manager). Interestingly, as a thorn in the Trumpster’s side: Avenatti was also a University of Pennsylvania undergraduate student (majoring in political science) graduating in 1996. And perhaps the first warning sign: during his time there, he worked as an opposition researcher for future Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. (Hmmm). 

He then attended George Washington University’s law school and — unlike the Trumpster’s boasting — actually did graduate first in his class. Also another sign of his future: he worked on research of constitutional issues (relating to FISA issues) with another future TV pundit lawyer Jonathan Turley (who, at best, is a mixed bag as far as liberalism is concerned). In 2003, the school established an award in his name — the Michael J. Avenatti Award for Excellence in Pre-Trial and Trial Advocacy— which (as of this writing) still exists.

He began his career at a high-profile Los Angeles firm, O'Melveny & Myers— working briefly alongside Daniel Petrocelli (who earlier achieved fame as handling the civil case against O.J. Simpson) and later — in yet another parallel — Petrocelli represented you-know-who in a Trump University claim. Avenatti’s own celebrity clients there included Christina Aguilera and members of The Eagles.

With his next employer, Avenatti worked on cases involving everyone from Paris Hilton to settling an idea-theft suit against Mark Burnett and The Apprentice and Dona …. no wait, that can’t be true ... huh? Actually, Avenatti reached a settlement in 2006 after alleging that they’d lifted one of his clients’ ideas for the show (the amount being, unsurprisingly not disclosed).

He started his own firm in 2017 and he boasts of his social media presence … indeed, believes that a high-powered law firm thrives as a result.

In his personal life, he has an Italian passport (in addition to his US passport) and has raced automobiles both here and in Europe (including at Le Mans).

Has competed in 32 races

Yet it was in March, 2018 — just over a year ago — in which he became a household name: in 2018 alone, he appeared on either CNN or MSNBC over 200 times.  Representing Stephanie Clifford (which I refer to her as during legal matters, not her on-stage persona) he quickly transitioned into a would-be presidential candidate: saying the Democrats needed a street fighter, not one who would settle for “nail clippers”.

 w/client Stephanie Clifford

I never thought he would run for president — I think us liberals are insistent on some sort of government experience. I also was a bit wary of relying on a celebrity attorney (who knows what skeletons are in their closet)? Yet I did think he might act as a prod to our candidates once the field was whittled down, and that he might be able to campaign for candidates lower down on the ballot. Indeed, when he made campaign visits to Iowa and also here in New Hampshire, he seemed eager to do just that. And I loved this appearance: photo-bombing on national TV your-friends-and-mine … Sarah & Kellyanne.

 April 29, 2018 … seems much more than a year ago, huh?

His star began to fall in October — first, he told Time magazine that the 2020 Democratic candidate should be … a white male (which did not sit well, as you might expect). More concerning to Democrats was a charge he made against nominee Brett Kavanaugh, which Senate Democrats felt they should handle. The next month, he was arrested on charges of domestic violence, causing the cancellation of several campaigning appearances. Though the charges were eventually dropped, he announced that he would not be a presidential candidate.

It is in this year that the roof has fallen in — having the defamation charge he filed against the Trumpster dismissed, having his law firm surrendered due to fraud charges, parting ways with Stephanie Clifford as she revealed he filed that suit against her wishes (and started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for his work), arrested for allegedly trying to extort $20 million from Nike and this month … well, the hits keep coming (with him having to surrender both of his passports) that could see him facing the rest of his life in jail (if convicted on all counts).

With his background, how was it that a concerted effort was not made to alert the public when he first started to saturate the airwaves? Yes, hearing him inveigh against the Trumpster was delightful ….. I guess I’d like to solicit your thoughts on the subject.

Let’s close with a theme that — in the search for a hero during the Trumpster era — had Tina Turner imparting some sage advice to us, a few decades ago ... about the need for all of us to be everyday heroes, during this era of madness:

x xYouTube Video

Now, on to Top Comments:

From FishOutofWater:

In his own front-page story about our ongoing constitutional crisis….. Mark Sumner cites the famous essay that Masha Gessen wrote in the New York Review of Books — simply focusing on a different aspect of her essay, today — wow, I cannot imagine writing about the Trump administration day after day.

 And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........

In the diary by Janesaunt about the launching of a database of police officers investigated for misconduct by, of all publications, USA Today— an enthusiastic JoanMar points out that — however skeletal it is right now — it is a continuation of work that others have begun to tap into, as well.  

TOP PHOTOS April 24th, 2019 Next - enjoy jotter's wonderful *PictureQuilt™* below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. (NOTE: Any missing images in the Quilt were removed because (a) they were from an unapproved source that somehow snuck through in the comments, or (b) it was an image from the DailyKos Image Library which didn't have permissions set to allow others to use it.)

And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:

1)  I don’t think that idiots like this guy are harm … by subtropolis +217 2)  Must be a run on thumb drives in NY. Can’t wait  … by gchaucer2 +147 3)  You have shown your quality, sir. The very highe … by sandbear75 +105 4)  They will have access (if they don’t have them a … by gchaucer2 +103 5)  Essentially these folks have become Russian asse … by boran2 +100 6)  This is beyond cruel, inhumane, horrific, and ev … by SninkyPoo +98 7)  Good morning Greg. Thank you. … by Denise Oliver Velez +92 8)  Listen to someone who has lived through it. You  … by Sher Watts Spooner +91 9)  Thank you for this post, Walter Einenkel. May it … by worldlotus +85 10) It’s called Stochastic Terrorism. … by Onomastic +80 10) Well, I disagree. I think it’s bullshit to call  … by David54 +80 12) Not stretching at all. … by TomP +78 13) His unit did report him. The NYT says his comman … by subir +77 14) Feed off each other and embolden other kooks, gi … by Charley27 +76 15) I hadn’t heard anything about Barr screwing with … by gchaucer2 +75 16) good lord what a cast of craven miscreants. I wi … by bubbanomics +74 17) While it amazes me that some Coach Dave-like cul … by MKSinSA +73 17) Lots of constitutionally protected things are ma … by mattakar +73 17) [image] … by rebel ga +73 20) finally, the beginning of the end … by annieli +72 20) I wonder how much of this is emerging in the cou … by Bob Guyer +72 22) Mayor Pete is the exact opposite of Trump and th … by Liberal in a Red State +71 23) T undoubtedly thinks that seizing and destroying … by Christy1947 +70 24) Next: his taxes. And note the mismatching claims. by subtropolis +69 25) Its time for the best candidate, be it an “old w … by LamontCranston +68 26) Ever since the Republicans on the Senate Appropr … by Breather +67 27) If this is all it takes to get you swearing-in-a … by Kaysera +66 27) I’m sure Kushner is all about the money. … by lovewinsalways +66 27) After impeachment I think Barr can release a let … by Semblance +66 30) It’s gas lighting at it’s finest and the Democra … by catkey94 +65 30) Defiance of the congressional committees is more … by Colonel Rainsborough +65