Michael Avenatti Was Among Cesar Sayoc’s Reported Targets: Stormy Daniels’ Lawyer

On Tuesday, adult film star Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti tweeted saying the FBI told him the mail bombing suspect, Cesar Sayoc, 56, who was believed to have sent pipe bombs to a number of entities last week, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the CNN office in New York, also tried to target him.

“I was informed this afternoon by the FBI that I was targeted by Cesar Sayoc. I applaud the hard working men and women of the FBI for his arrest and their continuing investigation. At some point, Trump will be held accountable for his role in the events of the last few weeks,” he wrote.

Following Sayoc’s arrest, a number of unnamed law enforcement officials and federal authorities told media outlets like CNN, the New York Times and NBC the suspect had compiled a list of at least 100 potential targets.

Avenatti’s tweet came a day after a large flat manila envelope, similar to the ones in which the pipe bombs were sent last week, was found in an editor’s mailbox in the newsroom of the New York Times. After investigating the suspicious package, it was determined it did not contain any explosive devices.

“In recent weeks and months, we have expanded measures to protect our employees against the overall backdrop of increased threats,” said Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the New York Times. “It’s troubling but not surprising to learn that The Times was among the potential targets, which is precisely why we’ve prioritized safety and security.”

However, the existence of such a list was not been confirmed by the federal prosecutor as it was not mentioned when Sayoc appeared before the federal magistrate Monday.

There were also no reports of such a list being found by FBI detectives when they conducted court-ordered searches at a residence believed to have been previously occupied by Sayoc as well as a van where he was believed to have been living prior to getting arrested.

Scott Meigs, one of Sayoc’s colleagues said the suspect had started talking about politics from the last two months.

“He told me I had to vote for [Republican candidate for Florida’s governor race Ron] DeSantis,” Meigs told the New York Times on Monday. “I knew he was a Trump supporter. But I just assumed he was passionate about this upcoming election. I didn’t know he was that insane.”

Arguing that Sayoc was a risk of flight and a danger to the community, the federal prosecutors pushed for a no bail order for the pipe bomb-making suspect. However, after the hearing, Daniel Aaronson, one of Sayoc’s lawyers, requested the public to remember his client had not been convicted yet.

“He’s innocent until proven guilty, and, therefore, only under exceptional circumstances should someone who is innocent until proven guilty be denied bail,” Aaronson said. “This may be one of those cases — maybe it’s not — but you have to keep in mind, he has not been found guilty of anything at this moment.”

A hearing is scheduled for Friday to decide whether Sayoc could be released on bail.