CNN Reporter Says Trump Was ‘Literally Poking’ Alina Habba in Court to Make Her Stand Up

CNN commentator and New York Times reporter, Maggie Haberman, recently shed light on former President Donald Trump’s courtroom demeanor, specifically his actions towards attorney Alina Habba. During a segment on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Haberman discussed Trump’s legal team and the challenges they face while representing him. The conversation touched upon the departure of Trump's attorney, Evan Corcoran, from the legal team, highlighting the demanding nature of work under Trump. As the discussion unraveled, Haberman and CNN’s Elie Hong, explored the history of Trump’s legal representatives, many of whom faced legal troubles themselves.

As per Mediate, Haberman recalled her experience covering Trump’s civil court cases live and shared a disturbing detail about Habba’s interaction with Trump in court. She mentioned, “At least in the civil cases. There was a lot of Donald Trump, literally poking at his lawyer, Alina Habba to get up.” In response, Honig remarked, “It’s a tough gig. I mean, look, like let’s look through the history. You mentioned Michael Cohen, right? We’ve seen John Eastman. Now, he’s indicted. He lost his license. Jeffrey Clark. He’s indicted. He lost his license. Sidney Powell, she’s indicted. Jenna Ellis, she’s indicted. They both pled guilty.”

Honig added, “Rudy Giuliani. I mean, it’s really hard to think of an example of someone, who’s represented Trump, and come out of it with their financial situation intact, their professional reputation intact, their exposure to crimes intact. It’s a grueling job. It’s a tough gig. And here, we’re going to end up with a situation, where this guy is going to take the stand, against his former client.”

Haberman emphasized the former President's pattern of relying on a revolving door of lawyers, a trend observed throughout his presidency and post-presidential legal battles. Citing instances from the Mueller investigation, she added, “...Trump cycles through lawyers. We have seen this over and over and over again. This goes back, frankly, many, many years. But certainly, at least from when he’s from the time when he was president on, he’s cycled through lawyers, during the Mueller investigation. He cycled through lawyers, around his efforts to stay in power. He has cycled through lawyers, since leaving the White House. He’s about to go on trial. We’ll see what this looks like.” Honig hinted that the tension arises due to a difference in defense strategies preferred by his lawyers and Trump's ardent wish for a more aggressive approach, to retain power and not come across as weak. This tension often manifests in the courtroom, affecting the trial dynamics greatly. 

As per Newsweek, Habba previously stated that Trump was worried about the Supreme Court ruling on his presidential immunity claim in his federal election subversion case. Habba shared, "...I can tell you his concern is a valid one, you know, Republicans are conservative. They get nervous. They, unfortunately, are—sometimes shy away from being pro-Trump because they feel that even if the law is on our side, they might be swayed, much like the Democratic side, right? So, sometimes they're trying to look so neutral that they make the wrong call..."