Michael Avenatti, attorney for adult film actress Stormy Daniels, has said on numerous occasions that he doesn’t intend to allow the case against President Donald Trump to become politically driven. But on Friday, the New York Times reported that Avenatti sought funding — unsuccessfully — from several top Democratic donors.
According to the report, Avenatti went to political adviser Mike Berkowitz and was referred to David Brock, who has raised some $65 million for liberal causes in the last two years. Brock’s American Bridge funding group donated to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and raised $200,000 near the end of it to encourage more women to come forward and accuse Trump of sexual misconduct.
American Bridge opted not to donate to Avenatti, however, “because the group’s leaders concluded it was not a good use of their money.”
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When asked, Avenatti denied knowing Brock, Berkowitz, or Bradley Beychok (who serves as president of American Bridge) — but he said he could not be certain that none of his associates had spoken to them. He explained, “We’ve contacted people on the right and the left relating to a variety of issues. We have not sought any money from anyone on the right or the left.”
Avenatti also claimed that he had been offered money from both sides of the aisle and had turned it down because he could not allow the case to be politicized.