If it’s another week, then there are more legal questions around President Trump. First, a bit of good news for the president: Federal judge James Otero threw out the defamation lawsuit filed by adult-film star Stormy Daniels. Otero said Trump’s tweets about a so-called “con job” were “rhetorical hyperbole” protected by the First Amendment. Daniels has been ordered to pay Trump’s significant legal fees related to the lawsuit. In response to this victory, Trump responded with a tweet calling her “horseface,” a term legally considered an insult and not defamation. Josh and Ken debate whether Daniels’ outspoken and provocative attorney Michael Avenatti is a good or bad lawyer.
PEN America, a group representing literary professionals and journalists, has filed a lawsuit against President Trump saying he violated the first amendment by retaliating against journalists who have spoken out against him, but Ken says the lawsuit may not go anywhere. We look at the latest developments with Paul Manafort’s case. Special counsel Robert Mueller wants to leave several counts open in Manafort’s case until he is done cooperating with the special investigation. But Federal Judge T. S. Ellis says that’s not going to fly. Josh and Ken check in about the fate of Robert Mueller after the mid-terms. And Finally, we look at former Trump adviser Carter Page’s lawsuit filed this week against the DNC for, among other things, defamation and violating RICO.
Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels speaks to media along with lawyer Michael Avenatti (R) outside federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. Photo credit: Lucas Jackson/Reuters.