Flashback: CNN’s Brian Stelter Tells Michael Avenatti ‘I’m Taking You Seriously As A Contender’ In 2020

Earlier this week, we reported that the disgraced lawyer and former Donald Trump foe Michael Avenatti had been sentenced to two and a half years in prison trying to extort Nike for $25 million.

He will also be facing trial again for fraud in California next month, and a third trial next year for scamming his former client Stormy Daniels out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Backstory: Michael Avenatti Cries Before Being Sentenced To Two And A Half Years In Prison

Stelter Praised Avenatti

Prior to his downfall, Avenatti was a darling of the liberal media who earned himself a reputation for being willing to say anything against Trump if he was put on the news.

In the wake of his sentencing, a 2018 clip has surfaced in which CNN host Brian Stelter actually told Avenatti that he was “taking hims seriously” as a 2020 presidential candidate.

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing that star power and TV savvy is required for the job. But I think it is,” Stelter said, according to Mediaite. “And by the way, I think President Obama also had a lot of TV star power and that helped him, pre-Trump.”

“But Trump is more evidence of this, and looking ahead to 2020, one reason why I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news,” he continued.

Watch the cringeworthy moment for yourself below.

CNN's Brian Stelter last year on Michael Avenatti running for president: "And looking ahead to 2020, one reason I’m taking you seriously as a contender is because of your presence on cable news.” pic.twitter.com/2Wn2bX17kx

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 22, 2019

Joe Concha Sounds Off

Joe Concha explained to Fox News what Avenatti’s appeal was to the leftist media.

“Avenatti hated Trump,” Concha said. “He provided raw meat for CNN and MSNBC audiences. And since he appeared for free, it’s was the cheapest of cheap content. He was strictly a media creation. Hyped to the tilt as some kind of credible voice and even elevated to presidential contender.”

“Yep- this is just another example of media activism in broad daylight,” he added. “And here’s the kicker- all the people on air who were part of this debacle will have almost no contrition.”

As to whether the media could learn a lesson from this debacle, Concha said, “I don’t know… maybe don’t befriend a shady hustler who plays a lawyer on TV, only to proceed to “interview” him dozens of times if you’re a network ‘anchor.'”

This piece was written by James Samson on July 10, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.