Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels and a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, has been arrested on felony domestic violence charges, the Associated Press reported late Wednesday afternoon.
Avenatti was being held in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to the same report.
And in an update: He made bail Wednesday evening after his arrest and declared that he will be “fully exonerated.”
He later appeared before a group of reporters, denying the accusations and thanking the LAPD, who he said “had no option in light of the allegations,” as Fox News reported.
Social media lit up on Wednesday afternoon as news of the arrest first circulated.
“Who couldn’t have guessed that Creepy Porn Lawyer abuses women?” wrote one person.
“How come all these Democrat ‘champions for women’s rights’ always seem to be abusing women in the end?” wrote another.
“There goes that 2020 run,” said another person.
.@MichaelAvenatti 2020 campaign slogan:
"She hit me first"
That'll win the women's vote…https://t.co/F5NsWM1Tc3— Carl Higbie (@CarlHigbie) November 14, 2018
Officers in West Los Angeles responded to an incident involving Avenatti — and he was detained in the process of taking an incident report, sources said, NBC News also reported.
He was expected to be booked into a local jail on Wednesday evening.
TMZ and BuzzFeed News first reported that Avenatti had been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, said the NBC report. Avenatti’s law firm did not respond to requests for comment.
Avenatti made his name by representing the porn actress Stormy Daniels (real name: Stephanie Clifford) in her suit against President Donald Trump. He also went on to represent an 11th-hour accuser against Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a woman named Julie Swetnick — whose claims of sexual misconduct were completely without corroboration.
Investigators could find no evidence to support her claims.
Other comments on social media about Avenatti on Wednesday included the following:
“One word: karma.”
“Trump wins again.”
“Haha! It’s like they say one thing, but do another!”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m loving every bit of this. He’s everything he says he’s not.”
“Wonder what he thinks about due process when it applies to him.”
“Trump doesn’t have time for him. President too busy running this country and doing a damn good job at that! Avenatti is a low-life attorney.”
“Does this mean he will have to go on CNN while in jail? He and [Jim] Acosta are a big part of CNN’s revenue.”
“CNN promoted this guy like he was a rock star during the Stormy Daniels fiasco. They lack judgment when it comes to character.”
“Oof, that 2020 presidential bid just got a lot more difficult, eh?”
Related: Came Up Empty: No Evidence to Support These Charges Against Brett Kavanaugh
See these tweets as well:
TMZ initially reported that Michale Avenatti was arrested for an incident involving his estranged wife. The story's been updated to remove reference of wife — now just says "a woman." (No correction note)
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) November 15, 2018
We can confirm that today LAPD Detectives arrested Michael Avenatti on suspicion of domestic violence. This is an ongoing investigation and we will provide more details as they become available.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) November 15, 2018
The Avenatti story (biggest story of the entire day) is not even on CNN’s homepage.
This tells you everything you need to know about their garbage site.
— Caleb Hull ???? (@CalebJHull) November 15, 2018
A quote from Michael Avenatti's current homepage presented without comment… pic.twitter.com/BCVJ9Txtr9
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) November 15, 2018
Share your thoughts below — and check out the video down below from last month.
This article has been updated.
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