Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced on social media he's searching for a new law firm to represent him in an appeal against last week's jury verdict awarding $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll.
He left a message to prospective hires in the Truth Social post, writing: "Any lawyer who takes a TRUMP CASE is either 'CRAZY,' or a TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT." The former president's announcement follows his vow to appeal the jury's decision last Friday, predicated by the presiding federal judge's September ruling finding him liable for defamation.
“I am in the process, along with my team, of interviewing various law firms to represent me in an Appeal of one of the most ridiculous and unfair Witch Hunts our Country has ever seen - The defamation Sham presided over by a Clinton appointed, highly partisan, Trump Hating Judge, Lewis Kaplan, who was, together with certain other Radical Left Democrat Judges, one of the most partisan and out of control activists that I have ever appeared before,” Trump’s Tuesday night post began. He further bemoaned the rules the federal judge implemented barring him from denying he sexually abused and defamed Carroll, which a jury last spring found him liable for. "This entire HOAX is a disgrace to our American System of Justice," Trump added.
Representing Trump is a tough task, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
"He's almost never happy with his legal team," she said during a Tuesday CNN appearance.
Trial attorney Joe Tacopina withdrew from Trump's counsel ahead of the trial, and lawyer Alina Habba assumed the role, often drawing sharp rebuke from Kaplan during the proceedings.
"I don't know how winnable this case was for anybody, Alina Habba or not," Haberman added. "But, you know, Trump has certain things he wants from his lawyers and I think you see that."
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday joked that Trump had “83.3 million reasons” to ditch Habba, calling her “one of the most ill-prepared attorneys for a case of this magnitude, maybe in the history of the planet.”
“He's had bad lawyers but at least they knew their way around the courtroom,” he added, “and by the way, you either know your way around the courtroom or you don't, and speaking as a lawyer that didn't know his way around the courtroom, I can tell you, it can be a very frightening thing and you would not want to be in this type of case."
