Michael Avenatti says he'd be a 'fool' to count on Trump pardon, is considering becoming a Republican

Imprisoned lawyer Michael Avenatti made headlines earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile the one-time fierce foe of Donald Trump expressed sympathy for the erstwhile president amid his myriad transgression charges, with observers guessing helium was sportfishing for a pardon should Trump instrumentality to the White House.

Yet present that Trump is president-elect, Avenatti told Fox News Digital from his California situation that he'd beryllium a "fool" to number connected that.

"If the president was truthful inclined, helium could amusement immoderate empathy and trim my condemnation oregon commute immoderate of the charges," Avenatti said successful a telephone interview. "I'm not holding retired for that. He's got a batch of different things connected his caput close now. Perhaps someday, helium whitethorn amusement immoderate empathy towards me, oregon helium whitethorn not. But I deliberation I would beryllium a fool to number connected that astatine this point. And, for that reason, I'm conscionable trying to bash what I request to bash and enactment adjacent to my household and my religion astatine this point."

A wide media prima successful 2018, Avenatti roseate to fame with his assertive practice of Stormy Daniels arsenic they sought to reverse a non-disclosure statement she signed astir an alleged matter successful 2006 with Trump, which helium has denied. Daniels was astatine the halfway of Trump's conviction successful New York earlier this twelvemonth of falsifying concern records to conceal a hush wealth outgo to her during the 2016 campaign.

Michael Avenatti says he'd beryllium a "fool" to pin his hopes connected a pardon from President-elect Donald Trump. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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Called an "existential menace to the Trump presidency" by Stephen Colbert, Avenatti was a constant tv presence successful 2018, doing hundreds of interviews connected CNN and MSNBC and popping up connected Bill Maher, "The View," the screen of Vogue and more.

But conscionable arsenic rapidly arsenic helium rose, his beingness of transgression was exposed, including stealing from clients, theft of Daniels' publication proceeds, and attempting to extort millions from Nike. Now an inmate astatine minimum-security Terminal Island national situation successful California, the 53-year-old says he's trying to hole his life, and helium present speaks of Trump successful astir reverential tones.

"The president is simply a unit of nature… He's apt the astir effectual communicator successful modern times, surely 1 of the astir effectual statesmanlike communicators the nation's ever known," helium said. "He's a fighter. I don't cognize of immoderate different idiosyncratic that could person withstood what helium has withstood implicit the past 8 years astatine this constituent and inactive travel retired connected top."

As a chap multiple-indictee, Avenatti said helium knew astir the accent it puts connected a idiosyncratic and his family.

"As a feline that's been there, I don't cognize however helium did it, but it's awesome arsenic hell," helium said.

Michael Avenatti spoke with Fox News Digital from his situation successful California astir the 2024 predetermination and whether helium expects to beryllium pardoned. (Screenshot/FNC)

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Such was his fame that Avenatti was floated arsenic a imaginable Democratic statesmanlike campaigner successful the 2020 rhythm – MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace memorably praised a code helium planned to springiness successful Iowa successful 2018 – but present helium says the enactment is successful specified atrocious signifier and retired of measurement that helium aligns much with Republicans. He called Trump's decisive triumph implicit Vice President Kamala Harris predictable.

"I'm a subordinate of the Democratic Party presently, but that whitethorn alteration arsenic soon arsenic I get retired of prison," helium told Fox News Digital. "I whitethorn go a Republican due to the fact that the Democratic Party contiguous is not the Democratic Party that I've known implicit the past 30 oregon 40 years. I'm a Bill Clinton Democrat and if Bill Clinton ran for the presidency today, helium couldn't tally arsenic a Democrat. The Republican Party has go the enactment of the moving class, and determination are precise fewer issues that I place with the Democratic Party connected now."

Avenatti added that Democrats were rudderless and had a branding problem, and the erstwhile "Resistance" person said specified a question was improbable to efficaciously signifier successful a 2nd Trump term. It's improbable Democrats are acrophobic with his assessment, fixed the suspended lawyer's severely damaged reputation. 

"I deliberation the Democrats amended commencement reasoning astir however they're going to perchance find immoderate communal crushed with him to determination forward," helium said. "But this full thought of we're going to reconstitute the Resistance, and we're going to marque Trump the devil time successful and time out, and we're going to prosecute successful Trump Derangement Syndrome, those days person passed. It went obscurity before, and it's going to spell obscurity successful the months to come."

President-elect Donald Trump looks connected during the UFC 309 lawsuit astatine Madison Square Garden connected November 16, 2024 successful New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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The disgraced lawyer scored a ineligible triumph past period erstwhile a national appeals sheet vacated his 14-year condemnation for stealing millions from his clients successful California. The sheet recovered the condemnation was based connected calculations of greater fiscal losses than were really suffered and referred backmost to a justice for resentencing, according to the Associated Press. 

Avenatti said helium believed he'd find retired his revised condemnation successful the adjacent 4 to 5 months and was hopeful the clip would beryllium "significantly less."

That 14-year condemnation was successful summation to 5 years helium was serving for abstracted convictions successful New York connected the Nike and Daniels cases. The appeals sheet discussed successful October whether the California condemnation should tally concurrently with the clip Avenatti is serving connected the different charges.

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Fox News Digital reached retired to a Trump spokesperson for comment.