Mark Peterson; Spencer Platt
Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba has said that reports the former president fell asleep during the opening day of his criminal trial in New York are “ridiculous.”
Habba, who is not representing Trump in the trial, described the suggestions as a “remarkable story at best,” and indicated that his eyes may have been closed as he “reads a lot.”
Speaking to Newsmax, Habba said: “I don’t know what he was doing, I wasn’t there, there are no cameras. I wish there were, but he has been sitting there as he’s forced to at the threat of going to jail if he’s not sitting there, for what I assume would be a very mundane day, they are going through jury selection.
“There were a tremendous amount of emotions being heard yesterday. I wasn’t there so I can’t comment on that. I find that to be a ridiculous thought though.”
Trump is on trial in Manhattan and faces 34 felony charges, accusing him of falsifying business records to conceal the payment of hush money to the former adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, during his 2016 presidential campaign. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.