At Trump’s apparent direction, his lawyer, Alina Habba, keeps violating the rules laid out by Judge Kaplan for the second E. Jean Carroll defamation trial, and on Wednesday, Kaplan shut her down.
Habba once again tried to question Carroll on topics that the judge had deemed off-limits:
After Habba says she intends to question Carroll about a topic previously deemed off-limits, Judge Kaplan scolds her again:
“The last I heard, Ms. Habba, I do not need announcements from counsel about what they intend to do.”
Habba stared to speak.
Judge Kaplan: “Sit down.”
— erica orden (@eorden) January 17, 2024
Tuesday’s opening statements in the case were a disaster for Trump, and with the former president in the courtroom and directing his lawyers, Wednesday appears to be going even worse for the former president.
Judge Kaplan has been through multiple trials and hearings with Trump and his legal team on the E. Jean Carroll defamation. If Trump’s legal team is refusing to follow the trial instructions that were laid out last week, they are asking for trouble.
The strategy in the courtroom is political. Trump’s campaign thinks that having him in court all of the time is the reason why they are winning the Republican nomination. All these stunts are meant to help his presidential campaign and advance the false idea that the court system is out to get the former president and that all of the cases against Trump are political.
Trump is trying to abuse the courts for political gain, but Judge Kaplan isn’t playing along.
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