Alina Habba Shaded by Former Donald Trump Attorney

The role played by Donald Trump attorney Alina Habba in the former president's ongoing civil fraud trial in New York was criticized by one of his former legal representatives, who said he doesn't think "anybody's really at the wheel."

Timothy Parlatore, who was part of the team representing Trump after his Mar-a-Lago estate was raided by FBI agents seeking to recover classified documents in August 2022, made the comments during an appearance on Laura Coates' CNN show.

Habba, who joined Trump's team in 2021, has attracted significant attention as one of the former president's most outspoken legal advocates in both the courtroom and the media. The attorney from New Jersey has become a regular attendee at both Mar-a-Lago and Trump's Bedminster golf club.

On CNN, Coates asked Parlatore who was "controlling" Trump's legal defense in the civil fraud case, questioning: "Is the dog wagging the tail, or is the tail wagging the dog?"

Criticizing Habba's performance, he replied: "When it comes to this case, I think that in large respect it's been kind of un-led for a while. I know earlier on when Ronald Fischetti was on it, he was handling it appropriately. Of course, he unfortunately passed away.

"But you know, with Alina Habba handling discovery, that's not something where I think anybody's really at the wheel. And so now you get into this trial where it does seem to me to be kind of a combination of building a record for the appeal and putting out things into the media that are helpful to the campaign."

Fischetti, a renowned lawyer who had represented Trump and other prominent clients, died on November 25, 2023. Discovery in law refers to the pre-trial exchange of information between the parties to a case.

Parlatore also noted the presence of Chris Kise, an appeals specialist, on Trump's legal team and suggested he was there to "prep this case for an appeal."

Newsweek has reached out to Habba Madaio & Associates LLP, for which Habba is a managing partner, and representatives of Donald Trump for contact by email.

In the civil fraud case Trump, his adult sons and The Trump Organization are accused of having fraudulently inflated the value of their properties in order to secure more favorable bank loans and tax deals. Initially, New York Attorney General Letitia James was seeking $250 million in damages, but this was increased on January 5 to $370 million plus interest in response to new evidence revealed during the trial.

In September, presiding Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump liable for civil fraud, with the trial primarily focused on whether he broke other New York laws and what penalty he should receive.

In addition to any financial penalty, Trump and a number of his business associates could be banned from the New York real estate business for life, with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump also potentially facing bans of up to five years. Trump has strongly denied any wrongdoing, arguing that if anything, many of his properties were undervalued.

Both sides in the case presented their closing arguments on Thursday, with Engoron expected to make a final decision on what penalties to impose by the end of the month.

A courtroom sketch of Trump and Habba, who is pictured with enlarged lips and a bulging chin, was widely spread on social media, sparking mockery.