Former Trump Attorney Shades Alina Habba, Says He Doubts ‘Anybody’s Really at the Wheel’ on Trump’s Legal Team in Fraud Case
A former attorney for Donald Trump said the fact that Alina Habba is handling discovery for the former president in his New York civil fraud case may indicate a rudderless legal defense.
Hours earlier, Trump spoke in court but was cut off by Judge Arthur Engoron. In September, Engoron issued a summary judgment declaring that the former president and the Trump Organization defrauded banks and insurers by over-inflating the value of their assets. The judge will soon decide whether Trump must pay the $370 million sought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Ex-Trump attorney Tim Parlatore appeared on CNN’s Laura Coates Live to weigh in on the case.
“When you think about it, Chris Kise–” he said before Laura Coates noted Kise is serving on Trump’s legal team.
“The attorney,” she clarified.
“He’s not a trial attorney,” Parlatore continued. “He’s an appellate attorney. And so, one of the reasons why he’s there is probably just to prep this case for an appeal.”
“Talk to me about the counsel that’s there,” Coates said. “Who is, do you think – you’ve been his attorney before – who’s controlling this? Is the dog wagging the tail, or is the tail wagging the dog?”
Parlatore responded by throwing some shade at Habba.
“When it comes to this case, I think that in large respect it’s been kind of un-led for a while,” he replied. “I know earlier on when Ronald Fischetti was on it, he was handling it appropriately. Of course, he unfortunately passed away. But you know, with Alina Habba handling discovery, that’s not something where I think anybody’s really at the wheel. And so now you get into this trial where it does seem to me to be kind of a combination of building a record for the appeal and putting out things into the media that are helpful to the campaign.”
Parlatore went on to say that the legal strategy of Trump’s team appears to be to try to “convince this trial judge to get so mad that he makes bigger mistakes for the appeal.”
Some of Trump’s allies have expressed concern about Habba’s qualifications.
“There are real concerns about having a state court tort lawyer come in to represent Donald Trump, not understanding the nuances and issues that surround a former president,” one source told Axios.
Habba was asked last week if she believes Trump hired her because of her looks.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she replied.
Watch above via CNN.
