Rudy Giuliani is being blasted as a “misogynist” and an “absolute pig” for his attempt to discredit adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Giuliani, an attorney for President Donald Trump, said at an event in Tel Aviv on Wednesday that he doesn’t “respect” Daniels — who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 — because she is a porn star who “sells her body for sexual exploitation.”
“I respect all human beings. I even have to respect criminals. But I’m sorry, I don’t respect a porn star the way I respect a career women or a women of substance or a woman who has great respect for herself as a women and as a person and isn’t going to sell her body for sexual exploitation,” Giuliani said.
He then doubled down on his comments in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday, saying, “If you’re a and you support the porn industry, you should turn in your credentials.”
When Bash pressed Giuliani and suggested his point of view was “antiquated,” he replied: “I kind of like my view of it better.”
Giuliani’s comments come after Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, filed another lawsuit Wednesday alleging that her former lawyer Keith Davidson colluded with Trump attorney Michael Cohen to cover up her alleged affair with the president. Trump has denied the affair.
Giuliani also said Wednesday that Trump’s wife, Melania, didn’t believe that he had an affair with Daniels.
“She believes her husband, and she knows it’s untrue,” Giuliani said.
And weighing in on Daniels’ lawsuit, Giuliani said, “So, Stormy, you want to bring a case, let me cross-examine you. Because the business you were in entitles you to no degree of giving your credibility any weight.”
Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti railed against Giuliani’s comments, calling the former New York City mayor a misogynist and an “absolute pig.”
“He’s basically stating that women that engage in the adult film industry and other forms of pornography don’t have reputations and are not entitled to respect,” Avenatti said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.
Mr. Giuliani is a misogynist. His most recent comments regarding my client, who passed a lie detector test and who the American people believe, are disgusting and a disgrace. His client Mr. Trump didn’t seem to have any “moral” issues with her and others back in 2006 and beyond.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) June 6, 2018
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Avenatti also took to Twitter to call Giuliani a “misogynist” and point out that “his client Mr. Trump didn’t seem to have any ‘moral’ issues with her and others back in 2006 and beyond.”
The co-hosts of The View also defended Daniels on Thursday, with Meghan McCain saying the adult film star was very “credible and well-spoken” during an April appearance on the show.
“We interviewed Stormy Daniels on the show and James Comey and Michael Avenatti all within a day of each other and I found her by far the most credible and well-spoken,” McCain said. “There’s no reason anyone should question this woman’s credibility.”
McCain also brought up Giuliani’s multiple divorces and marital issues and said he was in no position to judge Daniels.
“Mayor Giuliani was divorced three times … spent years estranged from his kids, married his second cousin in his first marriage. Let’s calm with the moral judgment on people’s industries,” McCain said. “…This is stigmatizing people in the sex industry which is a huge cultural problem. It’s legal. It’s consensual. And, by the way, it’s the only industry where women make more money than men. So can we stop with the judgment on the profession?”
Joy Behar also noted Trump’s long history with Playboy magazine, saying, “Apparently, I didn’t know this, but in 1994, 2000 and 2002, Trump made cameo appearances in several soft core Playboy skin flicks. Trump himself did! … And he appeared on a Playboy magazine cover in 1990. So, Rudy, you better get your act together.”