Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was arrested Wednesday for felony domestic violence after his wife filed a complaint, according to a report from TMZ.
Avenatti, who is currently considering a bid for president in 2020 on the Democratic Party ticket, allegedly assaulted his wife on Tuesday but TMZ says there was also a separate incident between the two on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Avenatti filed for divorce from his wife of six years in 2017 and the two have been in prolonged negotiations over the custody of their children and the division of their assets.
A “law enforcement source” told the outlet that Avenatti “kicked [his wife] out of the apartment,” and it was around then when the alleged assault took place, according to TMZ.
TMZ says Avenatti is currently in custody. He did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Last month, Senator Chuck Grassley referred Julie Swetnick and her lawyer Michael Avenatti to the Department of Justice for a possible criminal investigation over allegations they made false statements to Congress. Swetnick was the third woman to accuse Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, and she appeared to have invented wild claims of rape trains and parties she and Kavanaugh allegedly attended, despite no proof or evidence supporting the claims, where women were drugged and raped.
Swetnick, who is being represented by Michael Avenatti, sent a declaration to the Senate Judiciary Committee claiming that she attended house parties in the early 1980s where she saw Kavanaugh mistreating women and spiking their drinks.
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“I am writing to refer Mr. Michael Avenatti and Ms. Julie Swetnick for investigation,” Grassley wrote in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, for potential “materially false statements they made to the Committee during the course of the Committee’s investigation. ”
In a statement, Grassley said, “When a well-meaning citizen comes forward with information relevant to the committee’s work, I take it seriously. It takes courage to come forward, especially with allegations of sexual misconduct or personal trauma. I’m grateful for those who find that courage.”
Grassley continued, “But in the heat of partisan moments, some do try to knowingly mislead the committee. That’s unfair to my colleagues, the nominees and others providing information who are seeking the truth.”
Avenatti, a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, told CNN that the referral is “completely baseless and political.”
