An organizer of an Iowa Democratic Party dinner known for attracting presidential primary hopefuls defended on Friday her decision to invite attorney Michael Avenatti to speak at the August 10 event.

In the process, Iowa Democratic 'Wing Ding' official Susan Nelson pronounced the flamboyant attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels less damaging to the Democrats than Sen. Bob Menendez, whose high-profile corruption trialprosecutors abandoned in January.

And she dared a retired Episcopal bishop who objected to mainstreaming Avenatti to 'slut-shame' Daniels instead of complaining.

'Cannot believe "my" Democratic party is featuring a porn star lawyer. If we can't do better than this, we need to keep on losing. I am ashamed of the Iowa Democratic Party,' Christopher Epting wrote to Nelson on Twitter.

Epting led the Iowa diocese from 1988 to 2001 and then served as Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations for the entire Episcopal Church. He has written favorably about 'working to elect Democrats to local, state, and national legislatures ... so that the worst of this Administration’s proposals can be thwarted.'

Nelson was unimpressed.

Michael Avenatti is going to Iowa next month to speak at a Democratic Party dinner frequented by presidential hopefuls, and the official who invited him is fending off attacks

Susan Nelson, an organizer of the annual 'Wing Ding' dinner, said the camera-seeking Avenatti is 'accomplished' and there's 'nothing dishonorable' about him

Nelson dared retired Episcopal Bishop Christopher Epting (pictured) to 'slut-shame' porn actress Stormy Daniels instead of attacking her attorney – who might be a cash cow for the Democrats

'We are going to raise a ton of money for “our” Democratic county parties in Iowa,' she responded. '@MichaelAvenatti is an accomplished lawyer. If you want to slut-shame his client @StormyDaniels take it to her directly and see what she says.'

Later, aware that she was sparring with clergy, Nelson tweeted: 'The propensity of Democrats to tear each other down never ceases to disappoint. The bishop is entitled to his opinion. I don't agree with him, but this response is uncalled for.'

Avenatti's name became a household word this year when he took on pornographic actress Stormy Daniels as a client.

Daniels, born Stephanie Clifford, is suing President Donald Trump to be freed from the terms of a nondisclosure agreement she signed in 2016 – a document meant to silence her claims that she bedded Trump more than a decade ago.

Trump has denied her claim that they had a sexual encounter.

Nelson on Friday told DailyMail.com that Avenatti 'is paying his own way, and we get nothing from him but his presence at the event.'

She framed the lawyer as a less undesirable political ally than Sen. Menendez, saying: 'I can think of a lot of Democrats who have not been good for the party brand at one time or another, and for far worse things than your accusation above.'

'The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee comes to mind,' she added, later clarifying that she meant Menendez, the former chairman and current ranking Democrat on the panel who represents New Jersey.

That was in response to a dissenter who called Avenatti a 'grifter' who is 'not to be trusted.'

Nelson later chided the bishop for 'purity trolling,' saying it's not 'particularly constructive' and insisting that '[t]here is nothing dishonorable about @MichaelAvenatti.'

Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, claims to have had an affair with a married Donald Trump in 2006 and 2007, and is suing to be released from a nondisclosure agreement for which she was paid $130,000 in 2016

To another Twitter user who objected to Avenatti's involvement in a party function, she said it could bring benefits to candidates like J.D. Scholten, a Democrat running for Congress against conservative Republican Rep. Steve King.

'I am not his publicist,' Nelson said of Avenatti. 'I am delighted he is coming to the Wing Ding. He will bring media, which helps candidates like @Scholten4Iowa. He will help us sell tickets that small county parties can use to help state leg candidates get elected. #eyeontheball.'

'So why not just bring stormy Daniels?' the critic shot back.

'She sells tickets and raises money. She also shows off her goods all in the name of the Democratic Party.'

Nelson cut short the exchange. 'I am not aware of @StormyDaniels's political views or affiliations,' she said.

'Got ya,' Epting weighed in at one point. 'All about the money. The Democratic Party is fast becoming the enemy of Democratic candidates. Ah, for the Obama years when I could still be a proud Democrat.'

Avenatti didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

He won't say if he's running for president in 2020, but the annual Wing Ding dinner is known as a can't-miss event for White House hopefuls.

Organizers described him Thursday only as a 'high profile American attorney.' They said hours later that his appearance at the key political event was his own idea.

Avenatti played coy Thursday, deflecting a question about whether his next move might be a presidential exploratory committee.

Avenatti was added to the roster of the 2018 Democratic Wing-Ding on Thursday

'I have been asked to speak at a number of Democratic fundraisers in Iowa, Ohio and elsewhere,' he told DailyMail.com Thursday in an email from Los Angeles. 'I have also been asked to stump for candidates.'

'I am going to do what I can to speak truth to power and encourage the nomination of a candidate in 2020 that can actually beat Donald Trump,' Avenatti continued.

'All the experience and policy ideas in the world are not worth much if you can’t beat him,' he added.

It's unclear whether Avenatti's latest move is merely a publicity stunt to keep his name in the news.

The Wing Ding in 2015 hosted all three major Democratic presidential primary candidates: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Next year's event promises to be a similarly solid indicator of the 2020 field.

Trump and Daniels were photographed together at a golf tournament around the same time she says she bedded the future president

Despite Avenatti's suggestion that he was asked to come to Iowa for the August 10 dinner, its organizers say he approached them first.

Event vice chairman John Colombo told CNN: 'He indicated to one of our state party members that he would be interested in speaking, and the Wing Ding Committee then extended the offer to him.'

Just three other Democrats were on the event's speaker list as of noon on Friday.

Unlike Avenatti, eight-term Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan and three-term Marylander John Delaney have practical political experience.

But that may not matter in the age of Trump, who has proven that winning down-ticket elections is no longer a prerequisite to moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Andrew Yang, a serial entrepreneur with no political experience, is the fourth on the card. His central proposal is the establishment of a 'universal basic income' of '$1,000 per month for every American adult, no strings attached.'