Donald Trump Thanks Ex-Stormy Daniels Lawyer

Amid Donald Trump's criminal hush money case, the former president thanked Michael Avenatti, the former lawyer to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, on Wednesday for defending him over the gag order issued.

Trump, the presumed 2024 GOP presidential nominee, has been indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to hush money payments made to Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign in a case brought on by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Daniels has alleged that she was paid to keep silent about an affair she had with Trump in the early 2000s. Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He has claimed that the case is politically motivated.

Last week, in response to Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, imposing a gag order on Trump, which protects witnesses like Daniels and court staff from being targeted publicly by the former president, Avenatti defended Trump in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"We can't be hypocrites when it comes to the 1st Amendment. It is outrageous that Cohen and Daniels can do countless TV interviews, post on social, & make $$ on bogus documentaries—all by talking shit about Trump—but he's gagged and threatened with jail if he responds," Avenatti wrote on X.

Responding to Avenatti, Trump took to his Truth Social account to thank the former lawyer of Daniels for defending him and for "revealing the truth"

"Thank you to Michael Avenatti—for revealing the truth about two sleaze bags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Newsweek has reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.

Avenatti's comments come after Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer turned fierce critic, has appeared on MSNBC on multiple occasions to discuss Trump's legal woes, including the Manhattan criminal case, which he is a star witness in.

In addition, last month, Peacock released a documentary titled Stormy, in which the adult film actress shares her life story.

However, this comes as Avenatti, who previously represented Daniels in lawsuits against Trump, is currently serving time in prison for stealing millions of dollars from his clients and obstructing efforts from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect taxes from his now-defunct coffee business Tully's. One of the clients Avenatti defrauded was Daniels, for $300,000.

Meanwhile, the case is set to go to trial on April 15, as Trump continues to face an extended gag order. Merchan and Bragg were excluded from the initial order, but Merchan last week expanded the order to protect his family after Trump lashed out against his daughter, Loren Merchan, several times on social media.