At a Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba took the stage to share an unconventional perspective on her legal endeavors, proudly boasting about losing a case against a list of defendants and being fined $1 million.
The case which alleged a conspiracy to damage Trump’s chances of winning the 2016 election was deemed “frivolous” by Florida District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks as per Newsweek on Monday, December 18, 2023.
Habba regaled the conservative crowd with the details of the case emphasizing the judge’s decision and the subsequent financial penalty imposed on both her and the former president.
This surprising revelation comes amid an atmosphere of legal battles and political intrigue surrounding Trump and his legal team.
In a recent article by Raw Story, The Florida District Court Judge, Donald Middlebrooks had previously dismissed Trump’s suits that claimed a conspiracy against him linking his campaign to Russia.
Middlebrooks not only threw out the lawsuits but also ordered Trump and Habba to collectively pay almost $938,000 in legal costs for the 31 defendants named in the case.
Among the defendants were prominent figures like the Democratic National Committee, Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey.
During her speech, Habba mentioned Middlebrooks’ nomination to the bench in 1997 by former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton’s husband and Trump’s adversary in the 2016 election.
Despite the financial setback and the dismissal of the case, Habba expressed defiance emphasizing the rapid dismissal of the case within a month.
Habba’s declaration that “me and President Trump got sanctioned a million dollars for going against crooked Hillary” was met with an audible reaction from the crowd.
She stated, “One month, it got dismissed, and me and President Trump got sanctioned a million dollars for going against crooked Hillary.”
A person in the crowd could then be heard yelling “What?” to which Habba responds: “You didn’t know that, did you? Fake news, folks. They won’t report it.”
“But guess what? We paid that million and we’re going to keep on fighting.”
The unexpected nature of Habba’s disclosure raised questions with legal experts and commentators expressing bewilderment.
Mark S. Zaid, a Washington attorney took to social media to express his astonishment describing the situation as “very strange” and suggesting that Habba might be seeking publicity for her unconventional take on legal ethics.
On the other hand, Orin Kerr, a professor at the University of California’s Berkeley School of Law criticized Habba’s approach.
He highlighted the irony of a lawyer being sanctioned for bringing a frivolous case and then blaming the media for not giving the sanction ruling enough attention.
While Habba’s claim that she and Trump will “keep on fighting” may resonate with some supporters, legal professionals question the wisdom of celebrating a case that was not only dismissed but also resulted in severe financial penalties.