Former media darling Michael Avenatti found guilty in Nike extortion trial

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Former media darling Michael Avenatti found guilty in Nike extortion trial

Disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti faces up to 42 years in prison; reaction on 'The Five.'

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," February 14, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: I look forward, Joe, my friend. Enjoy Vegas. In the meantime, the acting Homeland Security Secretary, Chad Wolf will be joining us tomorrow, along with the acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker when he is looking at what is happening now after this.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. No problem at all.

DANA PERINO, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Dana Perino, along with Emily Compagno, Juan Williams, Lawrence Jones, and Greg Gutfeld, looking at me. It's five o'clock in New York City and this is The Five.

A tornado of breaking news coming out of Washington. New outrage over the sentencing of Roger Stone. Attorney General Bill Barr criticizing President Trump for tweeting about the case but adding that he was not pressured by the White House to intervene. Of course, some Democrats are not buying that explanation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's very important to question the sincerity of the attorney general, and I think that's why the president's response was so muted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would not be surprised, Erin, if the attorney general and the president did -- were not in cahoots in terms of Barr making a public statement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the attorney general is really saying is I know what President Trump wants, I'm going to do exactly what Trump wants. I just wish he wouldn't tweet about it because it is so embarrassing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: And calls for the attorney general to resign are intensifying. Nine Senate Democrats signing a letter, they signed a letter, Greg, demanding that Barr step aside.

Plus, the Justice Department announcing today that it is dropping the investigation into former FBI official Andrew McCabe. McCabe was accused of lying under oath about a media leak. And we are learning that A.G. Barr has hired an outside prosecutor to review the handling of former national security advisor Michael Flynn's case.

So this reminds me a little bit, Greg, when I worked with the Justice Department, there was a guy named Michael Isikoff, right, from Newsweek at the time --

GREG GUTFELD, FOX NEWS HOST: Yes.

PERINO: -- and he would call on like Fridays at five p.m. and say I've got a big scoop that's going to break on Sunday. I'm like, why didn't you do this all week? I know you're going to run the weekend. Now we have all this news breaking out on Friday.

GUTFELD: This isn't -- this isn't breaking news to me, though. This is what I called the weeds.

PERINO: It is weeds.

GUTFELD: We are -- we are in the weeds. Think about this. Step back. This is the media's big story right now after everything from collusion to impeachment, what they have right now is a story about Bill Barr and President Trump and tweeting.

That's their big story. This reminds me when I was young and broke and I would come home and open up my refrigerator and there'd be nothing to eat so I made like, I make ketchup and saltine cracker sandwiches.

PERINO: Those were good.

GUTFELD: This story is a ketchup and saltine cracker sandwiches. They are. The media is busy trying to make something out of this. You know, I don't care about Roger Stone. I don't care about any of this stuff. I know that he got screwed and he should have a new trial but we're only doing the story because the media want you to.

It's like, you know what it's like, when somebody asked you to babysit their kid and it turns out the kid is a monster. That's the media. Everyday America has to babysit the media because the media throws a new tantrum every single day and we are forced to go over and check on the little baby. OK, are you OK, CNN, what's wrong, MSNBC.

But here, it's stupid. It's stupid. All you got to do is you got to go. There was a weird juror, right, the sentencing was bad. Roger Stone not a wholesome character but he needs a new trial. That's it. Let's go to the big block.

PERINO: And the judge --

(CROSSTALK)

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS HOST: You are trying -- you are trying to give America sleeping pills. It's the media. How about its President Trump defying all the norms that say the Justice Department and our legal system, pillars of our great country, should not subject -- be subject to interference from a president who thinks he's an authoritarian king.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: What's the interference again?

WILLIAMS: Let me get this straight.

GUTFELD: What's the interference again? Be specific.

WILLIAMS: He said -- I'll be specific.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: I can't believe I'm arguing.

WILLIAMS: He wants -- he wants to protect his friends, he wants to protect Roger Stone and stay, you know what, you shouldn't be sentenced that. Bill Barr then acts, and then Bill Barr says, wait, President Trump, even me, even Bill Barr, your buddy says, you know what, you make my job tougher by tweeting.

So, either, either Trump blew the cover by admitting that he was trying to influence Barr or Barr is sincerely saying, hey, President Trump, you've gone over the line.

I've got four prosecutors quitting and now I'm going to tell you what, I'm going to let Andrew McCabe escape because in this moment, I can get away with that with you but I'll tell you what I give you something else on the side, now I'm going to go after the people who prosecuted Michael Flynn, your other friend -- what kind of government is this? Is this the media or is this --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: He's not -- I don't think that --

GUTFELD: That is a saltine ketchup sandwich, Juan Williams --

WILLIAMS: No. I'll tell you what. For you this is rims (ph). You could be Fred Flintstone with the ribs on the side of your --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Don't make me hungry, Juan.

WILLIAMS: There is such --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: You know you're trying to make me hungry.

WILLIAMS: No, no. But there is so much going on and you are saying to our audience, just ignore it. it's just --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: Because our audience is smart. Our audience has to filter.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: Can I -- can I play a little sound --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: There is little news. Even Dana Perino is saying a tornado is coming out of Washington

PERINO: I didn't write that.

WILLIAMS: My God. Look at -- ran your run.

PERINO: I'm not running.

WILLIAMS: You're running away.

PERINO: Hey, did you watch the two o'clock show? We had breaking news on anyway.

When I hear about the media say they're thinking about Bill Barr, you want to watch that? OK, watch it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC HOST: What he's saying is that these tweets make it harder for Bill Barr to help him be corrupt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What Bill Barr was saying in that interview with Peter Thomas yesterday was that the president has been making it harder for the team to win.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: The infantilization of the president, I don't think he's going to be able to take it. They're basically saying the baby can't use his cell phone, we have to take the cell phone away from the baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE JONES, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: First of all, Bill Barr said that he got the timeline wrong too. So that's not what was happening. So, I think that's important to fix the time --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: I think that's why he did the ABC News interview.

JONES: Exactly. Exactly. And there is another thing here. We're not dealing with a Jeff Sessions attorney general. This is not someone that is weak and doesn't have long-standing respect amongst both political parties.

What Bill Barr is saying, look, you hired me to do a job. You should trust me to do it. You said there was a corruption, I've started investigations, I had independent investigations, I've hired Jonathan Durham to investigate this. Just hold on a little bit, let me do what I need to do.

He also said that when trials are going on and there are judges being attacked, that hurts the prosecution. And so, what the attorney general was doing, he was defending his department but he was also defending the things that Democrats are criticizing the president of, which is independence.

The attorney general said I am independent but I am also a political appointee. He also said, also, it's not all the tweets that I'm concerned about. The president can talk about politics, criticize his political opponents all day. It just when it go -- happens to be the Justice Department where it's an issue for him.

And I think Democrats also when it comes to these charges, I thought you guys didn't want nonviolent offenders to be behind bars, so there seems to be a little bit of inconsistency --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: You know he lied.

JONES: -- of criminal --

WILLIAMS: He lied. You know he lied.

JONES: -- again, non-violent offender.

GREG: You know every politician would be in prison for that.

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: We can't have justice if I tamper with you as a witness.

JONES: So, my thing is --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: That's what he did.

GUTFELD: No, wait. Wait.

PERINO: Can we get Emily in?

GUTFELD: Are you talking about the jurors?

JONES: I'm not saying the guy is a --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: No, I'm talking about --

JONES: I'm not saying the guy is innocent but the Democrats position has been the child want non-violent offender on the street.

WILLIAMS: Hey, are you --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: OK. Emily gets her turn. Emily?

WILLIAMS: You must be confused with --

JONES: This is a non-violent offender.

WILLIAMS: You're confused with drug people, that's what you --

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: I said non-violent.

PERINO: Emily? Jump in. Jump in.

EMILY COMPAGNO, FOX NEWS HOST: I think what impresses me the most about this is the approach to this that prosecutors are somehow infallible. And I think the notion that up until now, up until this administration, somehow there has been a complete acceptance of the opacity and we just take whatever comes down but what's wrong with the investigations? What's wrong with transparency?

And to your point, I agree with you, and that, if you are want to understand that the original sentencing guidelines that right now there's an entire movement to deconstruct by the way, that was for a little over two years, and there was an eight-level enhancement levied on Roger Stone to make it to nine years for physical threatening of a witness which when you --

WILLIAMS: Yes.

COMPAGNO: -- it's like if you pick up a quarter at a bank and then you get charged with an enhancement of bank robbery. These prosecutors were shoving in a thin set of facts to fill this --

JONES: You get a plea.

COMPAGNO: -- large enhancement that doesn't quite fit. And in terms of the A.G.'s response, part of the reason that they were so frustrated and the top brass came out and amended and filed that amended sentencing requirement or request is because that is not what the prosecutors told them.

It wasn't just that they disagreed with the enhancement. It is that the briefings up until then hadn't given -- haven't -- hadn't told them about it. So, they said, look, we are stepping in to file an amended brief and we as citizens should applaud that.

We should applaud the fact that the brass is stepping in and not just say, it's the prosecutors. That's what they're doing. Everyone always takes briefs and police reports and everything as truth. It's not always. This amendment says --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: And also, Bill Barr in that interview he didn't defend Roger Stone --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: No, he didn't.

PERINO: -- on the acts then do that at all. He was just talking about that.

COMPAGNO: Exactly.

WILLIAMS: Let me just say. Let me just say.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: We got to move on. I'm tired of this topic.

WILLIAMS: Wait, wait. But before we go --

GUTFELD: I want to talk about Michael Avenatti, Juan. Come on.

WILLIAMS: I know. Because you love the vindictiveness.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: What are you talking about? I love victory.

WILLIAMS: But let me just say. You would say because Avenatti was going after --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: You can't handle the truth, Juan.

WILLIAMS: That's it.

GUTFELD: You can't handle it.

PERINO: You guys are going to --

WILLIAMS: Look, let me just say --

GUTFELD: Saltines and ketchup.

WILLIAMS: If you had --

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: He was supposed to --

WILLIAMS: If you had the A.G. as not a guy who was not spinning the Mueller report, not the guy saying I'm willing to take dirt from Giuliani in order to get Biden, he would have a better case.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: He said he was glad that Roger Stone was convicted.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

PERINO: That's what Bill Barr said.

Next up, Michael Bloomberg coming under attack from 2020 Democrats. Plus, protesters heckle Joe Biden, if you can believe that. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: The 2020 Democrats are eating their own after her failed attempt to smear Bernie Sanders as a sexist. Elizabeth Warren is back attacking Mike Bloomberg as a racist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Michael Bloomberg is saying in effect that the 2008 financial crash was caused because the banks weren't permitted to discriminate against black and brown people.

That crisis would not have been averted if the banks were not able to be bigger racists.

(APPLAUSE)

WARREN: And anyone who thinks that should not be the leader of our party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And Joe Biden week has bene kept off by protesters telling him to get out of the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop out, Joe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Skip Nevada, skip South Carolina. Just go home early.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Dana, the attacks finally started in the Democratic Party and everyone's criminal justice background has been tested. Biden with the crime bill, Mayor Pete, what he's done in his city.

PERINO: Yes.

JONES: Harris and Klobuchar as a D.A. And now it's Bloomberg. Is it a fair game?

PERINO: And Warren really doesn't have much to say about it, right? I saw in the banking thing. Biden didn't have like a terrible week. I mean, he had a terrible start to the week, but he got today a couple of endorsements in Nevada that put him may be like, maybe back in play a little bit there and from an African-American legislator there.

So, I think it's still so wide open. And what this, what you're really showing is like this debate between the pragmatic Democrats who want to make President Trump a one-term president, and then this battle for the heart and soul of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

And if it turned out that it was Trump versus Bloomberg, it was so be interesting. Right. Because then you would have an incumbent Republican who used to be a Democrat versus a Democratic nominee who used to be a Republican. And everything is mixed around and all mixed up in everything, and so I still feel like it is kind of a wide-open race with President Trump obviously favorite to win.

JONES: Juan, it seems like with Bloomberg, especially Biden that all of this is going back to the black vote. Everyone keeps talking about South Carolina and Nevada, specifically about South Carolina. Is that enough for Biden? The black vote?

WILLIAMS: It's very important. It was at 60 percent of the vote in South Carolina in the Democratic primaries, it's black. And you got this upcoming weekend, I think it's 40 percent -- not this weekend, I should say, but the next weekend, 40 percent of the vote in Nevada --

COMPAGNO: Nevada.

WILLIAMS: -- is black and Hispanic. Mostly Hispanic.

JONES: Yes.

WILLIAMS: And so, this is really critical. Now I don't think that it's a case of Democrats eating their own. I think this has been a pretty benign primary process by that measure. I mean, obviously you go back to 2016 in the Republican side, you saw how vicious and name calling I mean, got worse in that because that was the GOP establishment almost collectively against Trump.

But in this case, I think the things that we are talking about here, the idea that, it was black and Hispanics who cause the financial crisis? I can't believe that Bloomberg -- that's ridiculous. That's --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: That's not what he said.

WILLIAMS: He said that if the bank --

PERINO: No.

WILLIAMS: -- if in fact, he said --

PERINO: That's not what he said.

WILLIAMS: Tell me what you think he said.

PERINO: OK. So, basically, he was saying that that process of redlining, that giving loans leading up to the financial crisis to people who did not have the financial means to be able to pay those loans back but they are in a terrible position and help to celebrate the financial crisis.

WILLIAMS: No, what he said --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: The question about the mortgage part of the financial crisis is quite well-known.

WILLIAMS: No. What he said was slightly different. He said it was redlining.

PERINO: Right.

WILLIAMS: Redlining is the -- am I right?

PERINO: Yes, yes. And he was --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: OK. Redlining is the practice of discrimination, Dana. And in this case, the idea of --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: And it had been eliminated as a policy.

WILLIAMS: Right. Well, that's a good thing to eliminate discrimination in my book. But here's the thing. A lot of that financial crisis was caused by people flipping properties, thinking they could make some quick money, or, guess what, we had government, in fact Republicans who said home ownership is an ideal in America. We want to encourage homeownership.

It was not intended to somehow say people who can't afford it should go out -- no, that's not it. And for him to say that, you know, especially coming from the aftermath of stop and frisk, it's got to make you concerned.

JONES: I want to stay on Bloomberg because he's now, he was in Houston yesterday apologizing for the stop and frisk. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I delete -- deeply regret the abuse of a police practice called stop and frisk. I defended it, looking back for too long because I didn't understand then the unintended pain it was causing to young black and brown families and their kids. I should have acted sooner and faster to stop it. I didn't. And for that, I apologize.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Greg, I want to get you to weigh in on this. Me, personally, I'm against stop and frisk. All of this is profiling to the highest order. What he said was the definition of racial profiling. And quite frankly, the people that he was talking about, that would've been me. If I would have lived in New York City --

PERINO: Yes.

JONES: -- I would have been in Harlem or the Bronx being pulled over. It's just not right.

GUTFELD: Well, first off, if the Dems actually eat their own, they'll all get food poisoning.

PERINO: You'll give some antibiotics.

GUTFELD: Yes, exactly. Look, I enjoy this part because what you're seeing you're seeing the left apply the same kind of process that they have been applying to everybody out -- everybody else, which is canceling you based on past actions according to present standards. Right?

Now we know that it's wrong. I don't believe Bloomberg thought it was discrimination when he thought stop and frisk was an important thing. I believe, and I still do, that there were groups in New York City that were pleading for help in their communities. That they have a lot of gang violence, that there were guns on the street, and this was a way to get them off.

Now you are in the present day and you're looking back, that's discrimination. What doesn't -- what kind of gets me mad is in the grand scheme of things that's a mistake. You could say that's a mistake.

But what's the biggest mistake by anybody? Supporting totalitarian regimes that have killed millions. So, for some reason the Democratic Party sees a problem with stop and frisk but they don't see a problem with Bernie Sanders --

PERINO: It's a great point.

GUTFELD: -- you know, supporting totalitarianism when he was younger while there was this free, this free society called America that he took advantage of for so long? They, and I think the reason is because the Democratic Party agrees with Bernie, that America is the oppressor, and that Cuba, the USSR, they are the oppressed. Because that decision is, that decision that America is a moral evil? And that the USSR was actually the oppressed? That's a far worse thing than stop and frisk or talking about redlining.

PERINO: Yes.

JONES: What about the --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: In fact, James Carville has kind of been the only Democrat that has walked up to that line?

GUTFELD: Yes, yes, exactly.

JONES: What about that, Emily, because he still receives the mayor's endorsement who's the best (Inaudible) mayor in Houston.

PERINO: Sylvia.

COMPAGNO: Right. And I think what's so -- what's so interesting about that, we saw it from the Bernie bros and from Elizabeth Warren in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, right? And the difference however was that Hillary Clinton already had this path to inevitability.

But here Bloomberg isn't there yet. So, this actually might have a greater impact, and negative impact going forward. But I think that Elizabeth Warren and her comments about the regulations for the banking industry and what she's talking about with that has -- I think there are people who are quaking in their boots right now, that financial health and the camel system will be based in part on a diversity and inclusion rating that is totally separate from the value of a dollar I think will go so far behind closed doors.

And the money that Bloomberg has will propel him past all of that because as Warren is essentially hemorrhaging out, Nevada also is Biden's last chance, and all of those monies are going to go anywhere but to him. That's his last chance to prove viability.

WILLIAMS: All right. We got to leave it there. Michael Avenatti is headed to the big house. The anti-Trump lawyer found guilty in his extortion trial with Nike. We'll talk about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WILLIAMS: Welcome back to your favorite show.

More bad news for Michael Avenatti, the lawyer and one-time presidential hopeful found guilty on all three counts after trying to extort Nike for $25 million.

Avenatti faces up to 42 years in prison. He has two other criminal trials set for later this year. The media now being criticized for having given him a platform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, HOST, CNN: You got lucky tonight. We're back with attorney Michael Avenatti, he is a main player.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sitting beside me right now. I'm not going to let you cheat, you have to guess. Hint, his name is Michael Avenatti.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, I think you're doing a hell of a job. I don't think you're in this for money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never seen anyone pander to an audience like you just did. How dare you, sir.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST, MSNBC: You're something else. Michael Avenatti, I'd like to meet you sometime over a dinner.

DON LEMON, HOST, CNN: Thank you, Michael Cohen. Michael Cohen -- Michael Avenatti.

MICHAEL AVENATTI, FORMER STORMY DANIEL'S ATTORNEY: Please, whatever you do, call me anything other than Michael Cohen.

LEMON: That was good, though.

AVENATTI: Not really.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PERINO: Soulmate.

WILLIAMS: And now this prediction from Avenatti is getting a lot of attention after what happened today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVENATTI: I'm going to say it again. Mr. Trump will not serve out his term. No way, know-how, he will be forced to ultimately resign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: Greg, I know it's like ribs on a Friday night for you.

GUTFELD: It is Christmas.

WILLIAMS: You are chomping at this one, so go for it.

GUTFELD: I felt like we should've led with this and done an entire hour and I'll tell you why. We saw him, and when I mean we, I mean The Five and the viewers, we saw him for what he was. But you those clowns from the montage, they couldn't, because they had a derange filter.

So, all they saw when they look at this clown with somebody that could hurt so they're -- they are lined up to kiss his, you know, the bald bozos ring. He -- Stelter who said he was a prime contender for the presidency.

This is a piece of evidence that shows you that the corporate media cannot be trusted because there's -- these are -- these are people that consider themselves more sophisticated than all of us but they are credulous. They'll take in anybody. They're like a tribe looking for a savior and that's what they saw in this guy.

So, my big point is, for all those people that were in that montage, because I know they watch The Five, it's really a positive thing to admit that you're wrong, but it's even more positive to figure out why you were wrong. Because it's like opening a portal that you didn't know you had. It's a great thing to do.

So, the media that are so wrong on this, you don't have to admit it, you don't have to admit, but you need to spend some time to figure out why you were wrong. And why -- what flawed view cause you to see this guy, because you look at no street smarts, now Midwestern common sense, those were the things that could have helped you see this guy for what he is.

And it's absent on CNN, in MSNBC, the Washington Post, they don't have one person on their staff that saw this for what it was. That's got to make you go home and go like, what in God's name is wrong with my filter? What do I have to change?

WILLIAMS: All right. So, Dana.

GUTFELD: Thank you.

WILLIAMS: Greg and I -- Greg and I disagree on this because I think part of the fascination with Avenatti was Stormy Daniels.

PERINO: Yes.

WILLIAMS: And the fact that she was a porn star and she is saying the president paid her off, and then the check is found, in fact there was his signature and all that. The thing is though, Avenatti now faces a new -- another trial. There are two more. One of them is for in fact ripping off Stormy Daniels.

PERINO: Right. And there's like even yet another one too.

WILLIAMS: There's another one for ripping off a paraplegic.

PERINO: Right. That was -- yes.

WILLIAMS: It's unbelievable.

PERINO: I mean, obviously, we are not dealing with somebody who has --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: Of high character.

PERINO: No. He's very low character.

GUTFELD: This isn't a fall from grace.

PERINO: Not a fall from grace. New to (Inaudible).

WILLIAMS: By the way, you know, --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: A long way to go to get from grace.

WILLIAMS: If he was convicted on all three -- he was convicted on one today. He could end up in jail, you're going to have to visit him, Greg.

GUTFELD: I will.

WILLIAMS: 400 years, 400 years.

GUTFELD: I'll do it.

PERINO: I mean, is anyone going to step in and ask for his son to be --

WILLIAMS: Maybe we can get Trump in here.

GUTFELD: He should pardon him.

WILLIAMS: Because Stormy is his friend.

PERINO: But you know, this is the second in two days of stories like this turning out that the media has had it wrong. You had Jussie Smollett and now he was indicted this week. Now you have Avenatti convicted by a jury.

GUTFELD: Covington.

PERINO: And well, you have just taken up this week. But there's one example after another going on around here.

JONES: Well, Juan, you said it was about Stormy. I don't think it was about Stormy. It was about any person that they felt that could take on Donald Trump. And I think that they didn't do proper vetting of the stories. I mean, they could have just talked to Stormy and she would have told -- I mean, there were back and forth messages that anybody was around.

She's saying that look, this guy is taking my money. I've never received my money. They could have went to the original source on a lot of this stuff. But some of his comments in the past was that the President was not going to serve his full term. I think he's ready to finish that term. He said that Don Jr. was going to be behind bars. Looks like you're going to be behind bars.

So this is not a guy that was a smart person. He went after Nike. You think you're the first person that tried to extort Nike, and you thought you're going to win?

GUTFELD: They're making him foot the bill.

PERINO: Just do it.

WILLIAMS: What do you got to say? You're a lawyer.

COMPAGNO: Yes, I think this is an example of the squeaky wheel gets the grease where he was basically this such a loud obtuse person that somehow he was given all of that media and that airspace. And meanwhile, you know, all the time in the mainstream media, we hear words like, oh, this administration and this president, it's corrupt, and they believe and they extort.

That should be reserved for someone like this. That second trial that you just mentioned in the intro, that's a 36 count indictment. That -- this is not a small, low level, gray area situation. This human is despicable. He's a complete embarrassment to my profession. And I think the fact that he was given such a mouthpiece for so long without that vetting or without any -- I mean, he was like the Emperor's New Clothes living in this lavish palace.

He was -- yes, he was thieving from a disabled people and -- to buy a private jet because he was in debt $15 million. And meanwhile, his defense attorney is literally part of their argument, part of their strategy and trial on which he was found guilty of all three counts in this one in New York was well he just did it. Nike, just do it.

They literally were like, he just did it. So you of all people should appreciate that this is simply an aggressive attorney. You guys have heard the phone call when he is screaming and shouting and using profane language. That's that is threatening and intimidation. You want to talk about that -- you know, Roger Stone, that's nothing compared to this.

WILLIAMS: Well, you know, I mean, I just think that if -- let me go back. If Clinton, Bush, Obama, we're paying off a porn star, I don't think who they'll -- care who the lawyer was. He was going to get a lot of time on air.

GUTFELD: Well, you got to pay the porn star.

WILLIAMS: All right -- what do you say?

GUTFELD: You got to pay the porn star.

WILLIAMS: Oh, sorry, sorry.

GUTFELD: In New York, that's what you do.

WILLIAMS: Is that right? OK, I'm going to have more. Time for some fast fun. The "FASTEST SEVEN" is up next on THE FIVE.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COMPAGNO: Welcome back time for the "FASTEST SEVEN." President Trump may have a plan to plant one trillion trees to protect the environment. But these activists think it's better to do it with a song.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- hole in the sky where the tree once was. Somebody is making money. There's a hole in the sky where the tree you once was. Somebody making money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COMPAGNO: Juan, how many rehearsals Do you think they had before that city council performance?

WILLIAMS: I think they were at the Seahawk Stadium. I don't know. But -- so this has gone viral, right? Everybody is watching this and I think that it's funny. You know, obviously, they're committed and they're passionate. I can appreciate it. But it's everybody's watching this, including people who are opposed to the idea that these are environmental actors because they look like they could be made easily made fun of.

COMPAGNO: Lawrence, would you employ that strategy?

JONES: No. I just think they could be doing stuff that's so much effective, doing community garden, you know, planting trees and neighborhoods and all that, but they're so divisive. And even if you want to get on your team, I don't know --

WILLIAMS: Why are they divisive?

JONES: At least -- at least they're just singing this time instead of burning stuff up.

WILLIAMS: Why do you say divisive? Why is that divisive?

JONES: No, what I'm saying is that this is not encouraging people to be a part of the movement. They're just disrupting a city -- a city council.

PERINO: But look -- so they're complaining because Seattle is growing so quickly and a lot of trees have to be cut down in order to make room for the growth and trees are an important part of any city. If you look at some place like Greenville, South Carolina, it was like 20 years ago, the mayor -- maybe 25 years ago, said we're going to spend this money to plant trees and everyone was furious because they spend that money. And now it's like the most beautiful strip and everybody loves it. So they're just -- they just want their trees and they came up with a song and it's cute.

COMPAGNO: Yes, Greg, do you think it's kind of immature and infantilizing or do you think it's actually effective in some way?

GUTFELD: I don't believe in either of those assumptions, Emily. I'll take that over some guy hitting me with a bike lock, or throwing -- or throwing milkshakes on people, right? I'll take that any day. But imagine how the media would treat them if they were thinking about the unborn and not the trees.

COMPAGNO: Right. Good point.

GUTFELD: Thank you, Emily.

COMPAGNO: You're welcome. All right, next up. If you haven't heard of the term hungry, it's when you get really upset because you need to eat. According to a study, being hungry can cause a lot of heated disagreements and lead to an average of four arguments per week.

PERINO: I know this.

COMPAGNO: So have you guys have seen those Snickers commercials, right, where basically when you're so hungry, you're like a different person. And I haven't --

WILLIAMS: Wait, Dana says she knows this.

PERINO: No, so this -- yes, I can be somebody like I'm not hungry, I'm not hungry, not hungry, and like I'm going to eat somebody's arm if they don't right now. And so Peter used to -- we used to get into argument because he's like, well, why didn't you eat? And I'm like, don't ask me why I didn't eat. I had all these things to do. And so now though, it's very sweet. Like when we go anywhere, if we're going down to the shore, or if we're going to go on an airplane, he has a little -- he packs little snacks for me, just in case. It's very sweet.

COMPAGNO: To stave off hungry Dana.

PERINO: Every day is Valentine's Day at my house people. Everyday.

COMPAGNO: Greg, what about you?

GUTFELD: This is why robots are necessary. They don't get tired, they don't get hungry. Think about the number of fatalities that were caused by drowsiness or impatient or distraction or injustice. Think about injustice. There was a study, I'd mentioned it here before, that the eating habits of judges have a direct impact on the sentences they give out.

So when they are in a bad mood, they will deny you parole, but if they go to lunch, they're less likely to do that. So the thing is, we need to replace all our judges with artificial intelligence and we will never have the -- whatever --we'll never have the Roger Stone experience again. Thank you very much. I just solved all of our problems. You're welcome, America.

WILLIAMS: I think you don't like people.

GUTFELD: I hate people.

WILLIAMS: I think so.

JONES: No, this is totally me. I mean, 90 percent of the time, if I'm angry, or just upset, annoyed, it's because I haven't eaten.

COMPAGNO: Yes, totally.

GUTFELD: I'm like that when I eat or don't.

WILLIAMS: Wait a minute. I'm supposed to attack you. You're not supposed to attack yourself. But I don't -- I don't think being hungry is any reason to treat people poorly, right? I mean, that's not an excuse. If you --

(CROSSTALK)

WILLIAMS: Tell you what, when --

JONES: I always apologize.

WILLIAMS: You always apologize. You're a kind spirit. But I'm going to say I get headaches if I don't eat.

PERINO: Yes.

WILLIAMS: So I mean, I'm kind of you know, upset with myself.

COMPAGNO: It just goes to my patients, you know, whether I'm like, oh, no problem, or like, no, you can go and do that right now. Anyway, finally, Happy Valentine's Day, America. And for all of you haters out there. Here's a way to ruin the day for that special someone. It's called a Valentightning. It's, "the heartbreaking act of dumping someone right before Valentine's Day because you're too tight to get them a gift, write a card, or make any kind of fuss. Lawrence?

WILLIAMS: Oh my goodness.

JONES: No, I didn't dare do that.

GUTFELD: You do it the day before?

JONES: I did not do that.

GUTFELD: Or did you do that the day after?

JONES: I would -- I would never do that.

COMPAGNO: Do you need to share something with us?

JONES: No, I would never do that. Two days before.

COMPAGNO: OK. Did those come into play? Were you like -- tell us about your decision.

PERINO: Oh, no, we should. No, no.

GUTFELD: Wait, Lawrence, we brought her in.

WILLIAMS: Oh no. Yes, this is great. What a show. What a show.

(CROSSTALK)

COMPAGNO: Was it a litmus -- was it a litmus for you where you like. I'm not going to get to that --

GUTFELD: Emily, what are you doing for Valentine's Day?

COMPAGNO: Greg, it's not about me.

GUTFELD: I'm trying to save him.

COMPAGNO: Well, fine. (INAUDIBLE) if you're like I don't want to hit that milestone.

JONES: No, I really want to break up with her to begin with. And I was calculating --

WILLIAMS: OK. Hey, hey, this is way too personal here.

COMPAGNO: No, I was just -- because I care about --

GUTFELD: Oh, if you cared about me him, you wouldn't have brought it up.

COMPAGNO: Juan, what say you about Valentighting?

WILLIAMS: Well, I don't even understand this topic. Let's just be nice --

GUTFELD: I think you ruined this whole thing.

COMPAGNO: I think I made it amazing. All right, "FAN MAIL FRIDAY" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUTFELD: All right, "FAN MAIL FRIDAY." To continue on this topic from Linda, what is the worst Valentine's celebration you ever had? I'm thinking Lawrence it's today at THE FIVE:

PERINO: Five minutes ago.

GUTFELD: Is this the worst Valentine you've ever had?

JONES: Yes, because of Dana.

GUTFELD: Why Dana? I thought it was Emily who brought it up.

COMPAGNO: You can't blame me for everything.

PERINO: It was me.

JONES: It was Dana. We'll talk about this.

PERINO: It was me, but it's going to get better. Your Valentine's Day is going to get better.

JONES: OK.

GUTFELD: Did you get -- did you get the gifts that you gave her back or you --

JONES: Oh my God.

WILLIAMS: Oh my God.

GUTFELD: All right, all right. Emily, what's your worst Valentine's celebration?

JONES: You broke a --

COMPAGNO: I never had a bad one. I don't -- I don't --

GUTFELD: Of course not.

COMPAGNO: No, I just -- I don't really -- like if I wasn't -- I just -- it was no big deal. Whatever.

GUTFELD: Oh wait, Dana, you had a bad --

PERINO: It was -- Peter and I had a great -- we were great together but we -- he took me to the Bahamas and it was our first time together away. We went to the Bahamas and the weather was terrible, the food was terrible, like everything was terrible, and I'm never been back to the Bahamas.

GUTFELD: And it's expensive when you're buying two rooms. Juan. True. I know your mom's watching. I just want to make sure.

PERINO: You feel better now, Juan?

GUTFELD: Juan?

WILLIAMS: It's really hard to see tattoos from it. So I haven't had a bad one, but I tell you what happens afterwards.

GUTFELD: Yes.

WILLIAMS: It's like if you're traveling a lot, and I used to travel a lot for campaigns, and then you forget. And you come home and somebody kind of icy.

GUTFELD: Oh yes.

WILLIAMS: Like you know, didn't --

PERINO: You forgot?

WILLIAMS: You didn't act right?

JONES: You deserve that.

WILLIAMS: Well, you know who we're talking about.

GUTFELD: This is not a problem -- not a problem when you marry a Russian because they don't have Valentine's Day. They have International Women's Day which --

PERINO: It's a big one.

GUTFELD: Which is kind of some weird commie thing. But I always say -- I don't have to participate in either because you know, I don't know that one, and she doesn't know this one, so I'm in good shape. I didn't like when I was a kid and they gave me -- they did the whole card.

PERINO: I love the cards.

GUTFELD: I hated it when there are kids that didn't get any.

PERINO: No, you always get --

COMPAGNO: Everyone gets one.

GUTFELD: No, it's the generation. When I was growing up, they just let the kid with no cards sit there.

PERINO: That's not good.

COMPAGNO: That's horrible.

GUTFELD: It was horrible, Emily.

WILLIAMS: What about -- what about -- you know what I like, those candies with a little thing --

GUTFELD: That's the worst, cheapest candy ever.

WILLIAMS: That's bad candy? Is it worse than the candy corns?

GUTFELD: Yes. Candy corns are like -- it's like golden -- anyway, Lindy asked -- it's really one time for one question. What is your biggest goal for the future? Who wants to go first?

PERINO: I just want to get through 2020.

GUTFELD: That's your biggest goal?

PERINO: For the future. That's as far as I can see.

GUTFELD: Emily, you look like you're having problems.

COMPAGNO: Well, it's not my biggest goal but I would like to add to my collection of 78 Trans Am with -- in solar gold.

WILLIAMS: Solar -- the color of the car?

COMPAGNO: It's solar -- it was only -- it came out to California just for two years.

GUTFELD: Oh, interesting. Where are you going to keep it?

COMPAGNO: That's why in the future -- it's a goal. I have to get a garage first.

GUTFELD: There you go. Start with the garage. Lawrence? Biggest goal for the future, changing your phone number.

JONES: That would be all of them. I want to make movies.

GUTFELD: Oh, that's good idea.

COMPAGNO: Like directing?

JONES: Yes.

COMPAGNO: Can I be in one?

JONES: Of course.

GUTFELD: You don't want to get in those movies.

COMPAGNO: This is a family show.

GUTFELD: It is a family show. They don't know what I'm talking about. Kids don't know what I'm talking about.

WILLIAMS: Yes, it was -- he's talking about slasher movies.

GUTFELD: Yes.

COMPAGNO: OK. Thank you.

GUTFELD: Juan, biggest goal for the future.

WILLIAMS: You know what, I used to run a lot, and now my time is bad, Greg. So I think you know, despite aging, I would like to somehow lower that time.

GUTFELD: 10 -- I want 10 pounds.

JONES: Are you going to join him?

GUTFELD: What? I want to lose 10 pounds. Yes. I don't where though.

PERINO: I also want to go work in Africa.

GUTFELD: You're so wonderful.

PERINO: Actually, what I want to do, I'm going to ask for a sabbatical in a few years.

GUTFELD: Oh, it's not sweet.

PERINO: I mean, I'm just putting it out there.

GUTFELD: Well, that's good for you. Go work in Africa.

PERINO: Do you want to go with me?

GUTFELD: I'm busy. So just -- I don't know. I'm just busy.

PERINO: What will you be doing?

GUTFELD: I don't know. I'll be working in my apartment for Africa.

WILLIAMS: He's doing -- he's doing partnership lessons for alarm.

GUTFELD: There you go. There you go.

WILLIAMS: Love lessons from Greg.

GUTFELD: Well, this is going -- "ONE MORE THING" up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PERINO: It's time now for "ONE MORE THING." And I have this for you.

GUTFELD: Here we go.

PERINO: Corny jokes for them. Are you ready? OK, why do skunks love Valentine's Day?

COMPAGNO: Stinky, free, straight? They love.

GUTFELD: They love.

COMPAGNO: It's like brainstorming, you guys. Come on, get with me. Why do I always miss the joke?

PERINO: Why do skunks love Valentine's Day because they're sentimental animal. OK, OK.

GUTFELD: This is now the funniest thing ever watching her do this.

PERINO: OK. How did the telephone propose to its girlfriend?

COMPAGNO: Rings, by rings, with the ring?

PERINO: It gave her a ring.

COMPAGNO: Yes. My first one I got. Why?

PERINO: You're so enthusiastic. I love it. OK. Why do boats love to celebrate Valentine's Day?

COMPAGNO: Bobbing in the water, yachting, sinking, swimming, pulling, starboard --

GUTFELD: Water, they sea, or they're on the sea.

PERINO: They're row-mantic. That's good, you guys. OK, why should you never marry a tennis player?

COMPAGNO: Falling back and forth?

WILLIAMS: Love.

PERINO: Because love means nothing to them. Very good, Juan. But Emily, I'm only doing corny jokes when you're here from now on.

GUTFELD: She's the only one that cares.

WILLIAMS: No, I like them. I like them. But you're good.

PERINO: Juan, go ahead.

WILLIAMS: All right, so it's Valentine's Day chocolate, so boring. Flowers, so ordinary. How about a Bud Light, folks? Yes, that's right. Take a look at this box. Show them the top lines. There you go. Bud Light is selling a red heart-shaped box that holds 12 cans of beer. On the top it says roses are red, Bud Light is blue.

On Instagram, the company said the perfect Valentine's Day gift doesn't exist. But 12 cans of beer is pretty good. The box has been a hit. The heart-shaped box sold out. So roses are red, violets are blue, throw me a beer, and baby you can grab one too.

PERINO: This is like something like on Christmas when you buy yourself a gift. This is what guys are bringing home tonight. Like hey, look what I got for us. Yes.

COMPAGNO: That is amazing.

PERINO: All right, Greg.

GUTFELD: Drunks need love. Tell me that. All right, the "GREG GUTFELD SHOW," 10:00 tomorrow night. Mark Steyn, Rob O'Neill, Lat Timpf, Tyrus. I got my finger caught in the -- in the hinge of my glasses. All right, watch the show tomorrow. It's our cat-off. OK, you guys know the rules of the cat-off. I show three cat videos, we vote.

First cat is in a straw hat. It's a cat in the hat tradition. Look at that cat in a straw hat. I think the second one is also wearing a hat, but I didn't have much time kids. You got to move it up. There you go. This cat is wearing a tiger hat, a tiger hat. Oh, and you know, we're running out of time. Lawrence, look at this cat. Dana, I don't know what to say. Which one? You guys, quick vote.'

JONES: Two.

PERINO: Three.

COMPAGNO: Three.

GUTFELD: Number Three. There you go.

PERINO: Number three wins.

WILLIAMS: Wait, wait. What about the cat -- what happened to the cat in the hat, the first one?

PERINO: I think he's pretty cute. He didn't win though.

GUTFELD: All right.

PERINO: All right, Lawrence.

GUTFELD: Try to speed it up.

JONES: Not all heroes wear capes, some use shopping carts. Check out this surveillance footage in Peach --

GUTFELD: Amazing.

JONES: In Peachtree City, Georgia. Here's a guy with -- at a Walmart parking lot. And as the shoplifter is trying to get away. Look at him.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: Oh my gosh.

JONES: So according to the cops, no one -- the guy was arrested, all right, and no one -- they arrested him without incident.

PERINO: Did he get an award?

JONES: No. No award for this guy. He should get an award.

PERINO: That was pretty good.

GUTFELD: They carted him away.

PERINO: Greg's corny jokes. All right, Emily.

COMPAGNO: All right, you guys. So in honor of Valentine's Day, and some of you who might be hot tubbing tonight, check out this guy who decided to hot tub in a Wendy's you guys. This was this guy in Michigan, a Wendy's employee in it. He says it feels like a hot tub. And then he goes I'm just enjoying life while everyone else laughs in the background. Obviously, he gets terminated.

PERINO: Did he get fired?

COMPAGNO: Yes, 100 percent.

GUTFELD: He was terminated?

COMPAGNO: Yes.

WILLIAMS: Wait, why is there -- why is there a hot tub in the Wendy's?

COMPAGNO: No, in the sink. He was in the sink with the dishes.

WILLIAMS: In the sink?

COMPAGNO: Yes, yes, yes. That is -

PERINO: There's not a hot tub in Wendy's, Juan. All right, oh my God. That's it for us. Have a great weekend everybody.

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