Internet Schools Alina Habba on How Gag Orders Work After She Attempts to Defend Trump’s Violations

Donald Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, faced criticism when she suggested that the former president's sharing of posts by others on social media did not breach a gag order in his hush money trial. Trump is aiming to expedite his challenge against the constitutionality of the restricted gag order issued by the judge presiding over his trial in New York.

Habba's attempt to defend her client landed her in hot soup as netizens criticized her for ignoring the law. "He threatened to put Trump in jail for speaking. He didn’t even speak...He reposted things that other people said," Habba said in her recent appearance on Fox News' Hannity. The gag order does not extend to Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presides over the trial, or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, responsible for prosecuting the case. According to PBS, Trump was fined $1,000 for his 10th violation of the gag order by the judge who cautioned that further infractions could result in imprisonment.

User @HillaryHutton expressing her disdain for Habba's remarks wrote, "I wouldn't be surprised if Habba used her fancy law degree and hard-working brain to workshop this workaround for Trump herself because she's an idiot." Another user @AnthonyMorsey chimed, "You dummy @AlinaHabba, retweeting attacks on the judge's family is the same as tweeting it out on his own. It's especially threatening when you have millions of lunatic followers. Are you sure you have a real law degree????" 

Netizens couldn't help but school Habba on how gag orders work. User @AJDelgado13 stated, "I don't think she understands how this works. So if someone posts, 'We should harm the witnesses testifying against Trump,' and he RT's that...that's not a violation? It is. You don't get to harass by proxy. (i.e., by 'RT')" Meanwhile, user @meiselasb pointed out, "This appears to be a gag order violation. Habba’s title is Trump’s 'legal spokesperson'. The gag order also restricts Trump from 'directing others' to make statements like this about witnesses..."

In another post, @Meiselas continued, "Trump’s official legal spokesperson Alina Habba is going all over right-wing media tonight attacking Stormy Daniels. Why would having your paid spokesperson attack a witness who is currently on the stand be any different than you making a social media post about the witness for purposes of the gag order? If anything I think it’s even worse to have your official spokesperson seek to intimidate witnesses on cable TV while you pay her to do so. This seems to be precisely why there is language in the gag order preventing Trump from 'directing others' to make public statements about a witness. When you pay a spokesperson you are 'directing them' to make statements on your behalf." What lies ahead for Trump and his attornies is worth the watch in the upcoming days as campaigning and legal trials will go hand in hand for the Republican.