George Conway Reacts to Alina Habba Mentioning Him in Donald Trump Trial

Conservative lawyer George Conway has dismissed former President Donald Trump and his lawyer, Alina Habba, as "dumb" after he was mentioned during the ex-president's civil trial.

Habba has been representing Trump during an ongoing New York City trial that will determine damages stemming from a defamation lawsuit brought by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.

Trump has already been found to be partially liable for defaming Carroll in the case. In a separate lawsuit, Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million after being found liable for defamation and sexual abuse.

Conway, an outspoken Trump critic and the estranged husband of former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway mocked the ex-president and Habba over her cross-examination of Carroll in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Habba questioned Carroll on Wednesday night about her association with famous figures known to be critical of the ex-president, including his estranged niece, Mary Trump, comedian Kathy Griffin and George Conway.

"If you're wondering just how dumb Trump and Habba are, this may help," Conway wrote while sharing a transcript of Habba's exchange with Carroll.

"Isn't it true that you previously said George Conway planted the seed to sue President Trump?" Habba asked Carroll, according to the transcript.

"No, he didn't plant it," Carroll responded. "He explained what a lawsuit would consist of because I really didn't know."

Habba went on to ask Carroll to describe Conway, prompting her to say that he is "a formerly Republican lawyer" who "does not like Donald Trump."

Trump's attorney continued to press the issue, asking Carroll if she was aware Conway had "been on TV speaking about your case the past couple days."

Carroll said that she had not seen Conway's appearances but "would not be surprised." Habba then began questioning her about Conway's relationship with his wife, whom he separated from last year.

An attorney for Carroll objected, saying the questions were "way outside" the scope of the trial. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan agreed, shutting down Habba before ending the proceedings for the night.

Newsweek reached out to Trump and Habba's offices via email on Thursday.

After Habba asked Carroll on Thursday whether or not she had "spoken with any attorneys, like George Conway" following her Wednesday testimony, Conway weighed in again on X.

"Yep. I admit it. Alina's definitely pretty. But she doesn't fake smart very well," he wrote, referring to a podcast interview where Habba said she could "fake being smart" after being asked if she would choose to be "smart or pretty."

Conway shared a court filing online on Saturday that previewed Habba's line of questioning with the claim that "the idea of suing Mr. Trump crystallized in Ms. Carroll's mind as a result of a conversation at a party with George Conway."

"I am pleased to announce that, once again, I will be admitted into evidence by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York," Conway wrote while sharing the filing.

"I wish to thank the Court, the litigants, @ejeancarroll and @realDonaldTrump, and their counsel for their confidence in my probative value and pledge I will do my utmost to live up to this honor," he added. "Thank you."

Conway is far from the only critic to question the legal prowess of Habba, who worked in real estate law before joining Trump's legal team. She has been the target of widespread jokes and mockery on social media following a series of perceived blunders in court this week.

Habba has had several terse exchanges with the judge during the trial. At one point, she protested that she did not "like to be spoken to that way" after being told to "sit down" when a request to delay the trial over the funeral of Trump's mother-in-law was rejected.