As Twitchy told you, CNN hall monitor Brian Stelter offered up a B.S. defense for all the past praise he’d lavished upon Michael Avenatti. Stelter’s explanation came in response to this piece by the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple:

How Michael Avenatti commandeered CNN, MSNBC: https://t.co/KVpLGFlVPU — ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) May 23, 2019

“Commandeered,” eh?

is that what happened? — DrunkPatzer (@DrunkPatzer) May 24, 2019

Good heavens, he took hostages? https://t.co/MRqG3iGU2B — Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) May 24, 2019

Commandeered! LOL! I'm getting dizzy from the spin. — Brad 〽️ Dowd (@wilddowd32) May 24, 2019

Yes, he totally fooled them. They didn’t realize what type of guy he was. https://t.co/oilA55hTfU — Senate Popular VotEEE (@EEElverhoy) May 24, 2019

Odd way to say those networks pro-actively booked him a few hundred times. — Jay Dubb (@MidasRex1998) May 24, 2019

Yes, CNN and MSNBC were just sitting there, innocently minding their own business when Michael Avenatti burst in uninvited and savagely forced both networks to not only put him on as a guest over a hundred times, but to fawn on him as well. — White Chocolate (@rhodeislander) May 24, 2019

Nah. The weren't "commandeered." They were very willing accomplices. — SmooveCaulk (@SmooveCaulk) May 24, 2019

Because like all cable news networks, they are run by complete clowns — Bob Malak (@bob_malak) May 24, 2019

Because they, like you, are easy marks. — JWF (@JammieWF) May 24, 2019

Speaking of being an easy mark, Erik Wemple pretty much put a target on his own back when he chose to make CNN and MSNBC look like victims of evil genius Michael Avenatti — and Jim Treacher hit the bullseye:

Say what, now?

From @ErikWemple: How Tucker Carlson bullied Michael Avenatti, by the numbers https://t.co/h1WFl4CH35 — Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) September 18, 2018

Yikes. So not only is Erik Wemple letting his own bias show, but he’s also just accidentally kinda sorta made CNN and MSNBC look like even bigger lapdogs. Apparently Fox News was the only network willing to treat Avenatti like the dirtbag we all knew him to be.

Lol Jesus bro — Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) May 24, 2019

"The enemy of my enemy is my friehhhhhhhhhhhhh well wait a minute" — Some guy tweeted something ??‍♂️ (@jtLOL) May 24, 2019

*Chef’s kiss*