Trump Lawyer Tells CNN’s Kaitlan Collins No Trump Will Not ‘Lay Off Attacks On This Judge’ After Order

Trump attorney Alina Habba gave a detailed negative response when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked if ex-President Donald Trump will “lay off the attacks on” Judge Juan Merchan after Merchan’s latest order.

Trump has consistently attacked Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who secured the 34-count indictment on crimes involving hush money payments to adult entertainment entrepreneur Stormy Daniels that will be tried in Merchan’s courtroom.

At a hearing Tuesday, Judge Merchan set the trial date for March 25, 2024 and ordered Trump to obey restrictions on speaking about the case.

On Wednesday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Collins interviewed Habba on a number of topics, including the trial and Trump’s attacks on Merchan.

Habba said Trump will “abide by” the judge’s order but will continue to speak out against the judge “to the extent he can within the court’s order”:

KAITLAN COLLINS: Obviously, that trial date falling and March 25th is right in the middle of the campaign season. You know, it’s not easy to prepare for a trial. It takes a lot of time. Is there a concern that it’s going to cut into his campaigning?

ALINA HABBA: Absolutely. I mean, it has to cut into his campaigning. And his opinion is that’s by design. I think we’ve seen with a lot of the cases and as we spoke about, I handle a lot of New York cases. There’s been this same theme where his cases seem to get fast-tracked and there’s concern that that’s intentional. I’d like to think as a lawyer that I trust the judicial system and that people can be impartial. But I’ve seen that sometimes it doesn’t always happen. And we never want politics to get into the courtroom. Right. So I think it’s unfair that it’s in the middle of election season. I would like to see him get through whatever he needs to get through as the leading candidate for the GOP and then move forward.

KAITLAN COLLINS: And the judge seemed to acknowledge that yesterday. I mean, he spent most of that hearing talking about what Trump can and cannot publicly say about this, especially as they are starting to get the evidence that they, that the prosecutors have here. Is he going to abide by that protective order?

ALINA HABBA: Absolutely. You know, President Trump has always abided by any order. He’s never been sanctioned by a judge for not listening to the rules. And myself, having been his attorney on numerous cases, I can tell you that he respects the court’s orders. Does he think that he’s always being treated fairly? No, absolutely not. Do I think so? No, absolutely not. But he he does not have no respect for the law. He respects the law, respects the judges. But he wants to see fairness come back to this country.

KAITLAN COLLINS: But he’s been attacking the judge in this case, the one who was essentially explaining what his rights are yesterday. Judge Juan Merchan, is he going to lay off the attacks on that judge now going forward?

ALINA HABBA: You know, I think you have to put yourself in his shoes, right? He is not only a human being, a citizen. He’s a political candidate that has a reputation as not just a real estate tycoon, but an incredible president and also a politician. So when you see these judges that somehow get the same cases, you can’t think that’s a coincidence. Merchan had the Weisselberg case, and that was a very unfair case, in my opinion. That was something that if you were John Doe, maybe you would have just gotten a slap on the wrist, paid a fine and moved on. Somehow he gets Merchan again. You can’t help but think that there is something going on there. So I think my client is right to be angry. I think that he has a First Amendment right to speak just like you do, just like I do. And he’s going to use it to the extent he can within the court’s order.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.

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