Monday night, Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti and Michael Cohen's lawyer David Schwartz battled it out live on CNN, with legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin stuck between them.
The split-screen debate failed to capture the expression of shock on Toobin’s face. Avenatti argued that Cohen was a thug and Schwartz claimed that each time Avenatti disparages Cohen it will cost him $1 million.
"Look at that handsome guy sitting between them," Toobin joked.
"Trying to stay out of the food fight," CNN host Alisyn Camerota said.
"All the testosterone was washing over me," Toobin joked the following morning on CNN. "I had to take a shower after."
"What he was saying is every time you call my client a name it's an extra million-dollar fine," Camerota noted.
The legal analysis isn’t exactly accurate on that. Daniels' nondisclosure agreement doesn't include Avenatti, and while Cohen is suing the two for defamation, Schwartz will be forced to show he was damaged by $1 million each time Avenatti called him a thug.
"There is a provision in the contract that suggests each violation is a million dollars," Toobin said. "But we were in a silly zone there."
The contract he referenced is with Daniels, not with Avenatti.
"Look, part of it is, this is the challenge for Cohen's core claim, 'Yes, I made the payment but there's no merit to the claim' is absurd and cannot stand up on cable TV or fighting through press releases," Daily Beast editor John Avlon said. "In terms of the political implication of it, obviously Jeff will clean the clock on legal interpretations. What strikes me is the number 3-to-1, the American people believe the president's accusers, including a porn star over the president of the United States. That's not a credibility gap, folks. That's a credibility chasm."
Watch the full clip below:
