Trump's brilliant legal counsel

​​​​​Yesterday, as you may have read, a New York state judge ordered Trump, as well as Ivanka and Don Jr., to "comply with subpoenas issued in December by New York Attorney General Letitia James." They must answer questions "into his business practices," reported the Associated Press, and they must do so within 21 days, said Judge Arthur Engoron, who "issued the ruling after a two-hour hearing with lawyers for the Trumps and James' office."

So begins the AP's reporting on this contentious litigation, in which Trump and his offspring are, undoubtedly, guilty as Bernie Madoff. The AP's reporting is sober, impartial, thorough and eminently professional.

However, the best coverage of yesterday's hearing came from Peter Sagal, co-host of NPR's "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me." I encountered it on Twitter rather serendipitously, in that I don't follow that insidious social medium much. But I gather Sagal does, since he has nearly 300,000 followers.

Anyway, yesterday he was on the job, evidently following the hearing online — and here are the highlights of his coverage, specifically of Trump lawyer Alina Habba:

I'm not a lawyer, but based on her rant in a virtual courtroom just now, I'm not sure Donald Trump's attorney Alina Habbab [later corrected] is either.

Among other things, she's speaking to the Judge as if he's an opponent on a cable news panel, which strikes me as not wise? Also, the [court clerk] keeps having to tell her to stop talking over the judge....

She keeps trying to make the argument that the prosecution is invalid because Mr Trump is in a "special class" of person whose rights are protected, and the judge keeps saying, Wha?

Now she's arguing that the prosecution is invalid because its relying on the evidence of Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer. Judge: "Um, was he convicted for lying about Mr Trump's finances?"

Yes, Trump hires only the most select of legal counsel, which means, one presumes, legal counsel that isn't all that interested in ever being paid. But I guess that's OK from the counsels' point of view, since, at any paid or unpaid rate, they don't really know what they're doing.

Comments

[Anne J]

Sounds like his new lawyer makes the likes of Rudy Ghouliani and the Krakken lady look sane and professional. A courtroom is not early 2000's cable news. You don't win the argument simply by being the loudest, most obnoxious asshole in the room.

[Tracks]

Hope the Feebs cancel his lease on the D.C. monstrosity for cause. Tish and her her New Yorkers can have the rest. A Rod, don't waste your money until this plays out.