Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba has called the former president’s upcoming trial over falsifying business records a “disgrace.”
Habba, who does not represent the former president in his criminal cases, accused the Biden administration and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of engaging in a “coordinated effort” to target Trump.
She was referring to the so-called “hush money” the Republican is accused of arranging for his former lawyer Michael Cohen to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair she and Trump had a secret ahead of the 2016 election. The lawyer is defending Trump in the civil fraud case brought by the New York attorney general.
In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted not to seek charges against Trump, who was president at the time, over payments made to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan confirmed the case—where Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges—will go to trial on April 15. Responding on Newsmax, Habba accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of being President Joe Biden’s “puppeteer” in suing Trump by urging the New York prosecutors to revisit the allegations.
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“Truly, there is obviously a coordinated effort. There’s no question about that,” Habba told Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight.
“Back in the day, this case was looked at, it was investigated, charges were not brought. Indictments were not made because they knew the case was not real,” Habba said. “Then [Trump] ran for office. They bring the charges. If you look at that timeline alone, I want to know how they’re going to wipe this story away, because it speaks volumes. You didn’t bring the charges. You said there was no story,” she said.
“That case that’s going forward in April is another disgrace and shows the demise of the state of New York, which I used to love.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed the historic indictment against the former president in April 2023, five months after Trump confirmed he would be ruining for president again in 2024.
Bragg’s office and the DOJ have been contacted for comment via email.
Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has long accused all four criminal investigations into him of being politically motivated “witch hunts” that aim to hinder his White House chances.
“D.A. Bragg fought everyone about trying this ‘no crime’ case, but Crooked Joe Biden’s ‘Thugs’ pushed him to go forward, and pushed him hard,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. “They wanted him to go after ME, Crooked’s Political Opponent.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.