The Top Six Craziest Moments From Stormy Daniels’ Testimony in Michael Avenatti’s Criminal Trial

Sarah RumpfJan 28th, 2022, 5:56 pm
 
Stormy Daniels with Michael Avenatti

Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images.

Michael Avenatti spent this lovely Friday afternoon trying to prove the old adage that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client, as he conducted a truly bonkers cross-examination of Stormy Daniels. Daniels is the adult film star (legal name: Stephanie Clifford) who infamously had an affair with former President Donald Trump and then wrote a tell-all book with all the salacious details.

That book is at the center of Avenatti’s latest legal headache, as he is facing criminal charges for allegedly defrauding Daniels out of $300,000 from her $800,000 book advance fee. (This is a separate and distinct criminal snafu from Avenatti’s conviction for attempting to extort Nike.)

Having fired his defense counsel after a spat earlier in the proceedings, Avenatti is now representing himself and naturally, that includes questioning witnesses.

Daniels testified in court for the first time Thursday, spending most of the day answering questions from prosecutors. Avenatti got his first crack at his former client just a few minutes before court concluded for the day, and resumed his cross-examination on Friday.

Here are the six wildest, wackiest, and just plain weird moments from Avenatti’s cross-examination of Daniels:

Don’t drop the soap

Avenatti asked Daniels about comments she had reportedly made about his criminal troubles on a podcast. This led to a whole line of questioning about the meaning of “don’t drop the soap,” and Daniels admitting that yes, she had said that she hoped Avenatti dropped something “over and over and over.”

The “alleged” television show 

Avenatti asked Daniels about her TV series “Spooky Babes,” which has yet to air, in an attempt to discredit her. His description of the program as an “alleged television show” drew an objection from prosecutors and Daniels was visibly annoyed at Avenatti’s questioning about the contents of the program, including her comments about the visions and other paranormal experiences that are a part of the show.

“I see dead people” (and possibly possessed dolls)

Daniels herself has acknowledged that talking about how “I see dead people” could negatively impact her various legal cases.

Avenatti pressed her on this topic, asking multiple questions about how she communicated with the dead, and also about a “paranormal doll” named Susan.

Susan has her own Instagram page, of course.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Susan (@spookybabesusan)

Avenatti asks a question he should’ve known better than to ask

Remember what we said about a lawyer who represents himself? Well, Avenatti got caught looking pretty foolish when he tried to fish a compliment about his legal work out of Daniels and she metaphorically slapped him upside the head with it.

“Didn’t you tell the New York Times that watching me work was like watching the Sistine Chapel painted?” asked Avenatti.

“That’s what you told me to say,” Daniels retorted.

Ouch.

“Did you learn who was fucking you over?”

The weirdness didn’t end when Avenatti concluded his cross-examination. Avenatti had asked her about a comment she had made that she thought “everyone” was “fucking [her] over,” and the prosecution followed up on that in a memorable sort of way.

The very first question on redirect: “That week, did you learn who was fucking you over?”

Avenatti objected to the question as “argumentative” and the prosecutor tried again with the far more anodyne, “That week, did you learn anything about your relationship with the defendant?”

“You’re nuts. You need to get on medication.”

At the end of Daniels’ testimony, the judge unsealed multiple letters, including one from Avenatti that sought to subpoena Daniels’ medical and psychological records. The letter lists multiple quotes reportedly said by Daniels, including comments that she worried she was “going insane” and that people were telling her “the stress of all the political stuff is getting to you, girl. You’re nuts. You need to get on medication” — plus a number of others that made it into Avenatti’s cross-examination of her.

Next week promises to bring still more notable moments, as Avenatti is weighing testifying in his own defense.

To avoid the completely absurd scene of asking the questions and then answering himself, the current plan is for Avenatti to submit the questions he would like to ask in writing, and they will be read aloud in court by one of the defense counsel he fired earlier (but who have remained in the courtroom to provide assistance).

Stay tuned to Mediaite and Law & Crime for all the latest updates in this very…unique…case.

Tags:
Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.