Another prominent lawyer will no longer be representing former President Donald Trump in one of his many legal cases.
Alina Habba, who has been closely aligned with Trump for a while now, will no longer serve a role in defending Trump the criminal case he’s facing in New York. That case revolves around financial fraud mainly through his business dealings in the state, and it was brought against him by Democratic Attorney General Letitia James.
Instead of representing Trump in that case, Habba will move over to his Save America leadership PAC in a prominent role there.
The PAC made the announcement of Habba’s role change in a recent press release. The PAC said Habba will now be the legal spokesperson for the group as well as its general counsel. She’ll also assist the former president with “certain legal matters.”
Because of this new role she’ll be taking on, Habba has withdrawn herself from the New York state criminal case that was filed against the Trump Organization “and other cases.” This is being done so she can serve as the former president’s “media representative on legal matters.”
Steven Cheung, who serves as the communications director for Trump, commented on the situation:
“Alina has worked diligently and tirelessly on many of the witch-hunt cases that have been unfairly brought against President Trump.”
In a statement that she released on her own, Habba said:
“It is an honor to be asked by such a leader as President Trump to help Save America. Being able to devote more time to addressing publicly his many legal matters is the privilege of a lifetime.”
Habba has served a prominent role in the classified documents investigation – and now federal criminal case – against Trump. She was one of several lawyers who testified in front of a federal grand jury, answering questions about her role in helping to compile all the documents that were subpoenaed that Trump is accused of having improperly at his Mar-a-Lago resort and home in Florida.
She’s been a media figurehead of sorts for Trump’s legal cases as well, appearing on TV many times to defend Trump and his actions.
Despite the rosy picture that Trump’s legal team, Habba and the Save America PAC are painting about this switch in roles, some Trump detractors may suggest that it’s yet another sign that his defense team is crumbling piece by piece.
In early June, two attorneys who represented the former president in the lead-up to his federal indictment in the classified documents case quit unexpectedly.
Lawyers John Rowley and Jim Trusty didn’t explain why they resigned from Trump’s legal team, but said in a statement they issued jointly that “this is a logical moment” for them to step aside, given that Trump was indicted in federal court.
In backing out of that case, the lawyers also said they wouldn’t represent Trump any more in the federal criminal probe that’s pending against him about his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
