Michael Avenatti appeared on Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and engaged in a heated 12-minute verbal knife fight with the namesake host.

The lawyer made his first appearance on Carlson's show to discuss his possible presidential run and representation of adult film actress Stormy Daniels against President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE.

Avenatti, who previously compared Russian election meddling to putting 100,000 troops on a U.S. border, defended his stance that the interference amounted to an act of war.

ADVERTISEMENT

“There’s no question that Russia interfered with the 2016 election in a very serious way. The only question is what involvement was there by Donald Trump and his cronies in the process,” he said.

“We should respond with the absolute force of the law. We should be doing everything in our power to bring those individuals responsible to justice…We should not be standing shoulder to shoulder with Vladimir Putin and standing with Russia…The president sold out this nation,” he added.

Carlson responded by claiming that Avenatti’s rhetoric only worsened relations between Washington and Moscow and that he did not fully understand the issue, which Avenatti criticized.

“I think for you to lecture me about reckless rhetoric is rather ironic, Tucker,” Avenatti responded.

The also two engaged in a debate over Daniels’ case against Trump characterized more by interruptions than clear talking points.

“The injury is that the agreement that was entered into was not adhered to by Michael Cohen and Donald Trump. They did not fulfill their end of the bargain,” Avenatti claimed, referring to a non-disclosure agreement, the payment associated with which led Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer at the time, to end of pleading guilty to campaign finance violation charges.

Carlson responded that Avenatti was exploiting his client, citing his frequent appearances on cable news shows while Daniels performs in strip clubs across the country.

Banners frequently referred to Avenatti as “Creepy Porn Lawyer,” Carlson’s favorite nickname for the attorney, despite Carlson saying he wanted to stay away from name calling.

Fox News chyrons for the Tucker-Avenatti interview. pic.twitter.com/5DfgXgoFqM — Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 14, 2018

“Creepy porn lawyer, great to see you,” Carlson said as the segment came to a close.

"Yes. After he told me that he was not going to engage in “name calling.” This is why so many people correctly conclude that @TuckerCarlson is a liar, just like Trump," Avenatti tweeted after his appearance.