Alina Habba Does Not Have 'High Hopes' for Donald Trump Verdict

Alina Habba, one of Donald Trump's lawyers, has said she does not have "high hopes" for the verdict in his civil fraud trial.

Speaking to Newsmax's Eric Bolling, the attorney said there was "corruption" in the New York case, the verdict of which is expected this week.

"I don't have high hopes. I do believe that there is some, you know, ethics left," she said. "I hope that Judge Engoron sees through this but quite honestly I've seen it time and time again. I've been on weeks and weeks and weeks of trial in New York and the corruption runs deep, the Trump derangement syndrome frankly runs even deeper and they can't see straight."

She added that no laws were broken, despite the partial judgement finding Trump overvalued assets.

Newsweek contacted representatives for Trump and Habba by email to comment further on this story.

The Context

Judge Arthur Engoron is expected to issue a final ruling this week in the Republican's civil fraud trial.

In September, he issued a partial summary judgment in the case, which was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization committed fraud. He held that Trump grossly inflated the value of his assets to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers. Engoron will decide how much the Republican will pay in damages, as well as rule on six other accusations—including falsifying business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy claims.

What We Know

Trump's trial ended in early January, with Engoron initially saying that he would try to have his ruling by January 31 before it was delayed. Habba, who also represented the former president in his E. Jean Carroll defamation case, told Bolling she didn't have confidence in the ruling and indicated she would file an appeal after the decision if it does not go in Trump's favor.

"I will be loud and booming right after we get the decision," she said.

Views

Trump has joined Habba in accusing prosecutors of corruption. In a series of Truth Social posts on Tuesday, the former president said that James "knew nothing about my tremendously successful business, but still campaigned on, 'I will get Trump,'" once again saying that the legal cases against him are part of a political witch hunt to weaken his stance ahead of the 2024 election.

He also called "the politically biased judge on this rigged case" who "refused to acknowledge that the Appellate Division has already ruled in my favor on Statute of Limitations, and effectively ended this litigation."

What's Next

When Engoron makes his ruling, Trump could be forced to pay massive amounts. James is seeking the return of $370 million in profits Trump made.

Todd Landman, professor of Political Science, School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham, in the U.K., previously told Newsweek that if the Trump Organization ceases operating, as the case calls for, this "would entail significant transaction costs and loss of future revenue."

Update 2/15/24, 3:30 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.