'It's a malicious prosecution': Alina Habba sparks debate as she condemns Judge Juan Merchan's 'unbelievable' conduct in Trump's hush money trial

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Donald Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, criticized Judge Juan Merchan for displaying "anger" in the courtroom and accused him of being biased against the former president's legal team during an appearance on Fox News host Jesse Watters' primetime show. 

This came after the defense and prosecution presented their closing arguments in the hush money trial on Tuesday, May 28. 

Alina Habba slams Judge Juan Merchan's 'unbelievable' conduct

During the Fox News show, Habba said, "It's unbelievable. I mean, you've seen it and the way that the visceral reaction that this judge had when we had our one witness come up and he threw the press out. That kind of anger – that kind of TDS frankly – we saw it with De Niro today."

She was referring to one of the two defense witnesses, attorney Robert Costello, who was reprimanded by Judge Merchan over his behavior while on the witness stand.

"If you don’t like my ruling, you don’t say 'jeez,' you don’t say 'strike it' because I’m the only one who can strike testimony in court. You don’t give me side eye, and you don’t roll your eyes," told the judge to the defense witness. 

Habba's use of the term "TDS" refers to "Trump Derangement Syndrome," a phrase popularized by Trump. The former president used it riding his recent rant against Robert De Niro, who had appeared outside Manhattan Criminal Court at a Biden campaign press conference on Tuesday. 

The Hollywood actor reprimanded the MAGA spearhead, noting, "Donald Trump wants to destroy not only the city but the country, and, eventually, he could destroy the world." 

In his Truth Social tirade, Trump called De Niro a "wacko" and said he suffered from "an incurable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME." 

Moreover, in another Truth Social post on Wednesday, he criticized Judge Merchan by referring to him as "conflicted," "biased," and "unfair" over his jury instructions. In one more post, the former president dubbed him a "highly conflicted, radical left" judge while denouncing the hush money case as a "third world election interference hoax." 

Alina Habba predicts possible jury verdict

Habba also discussed how she believed the hush money trial jury would respond, just hours before they were scheduled to deliberate after appearing in open court with Judge Merchan.

The Trump attorney noted, "But that is what we're challenged with. We're dealing with people that are either going to believe a story – it was like sitting in make-believe land with the prosecution today – or you're going to listen to the facts," adding, "Honestly, if they do the right thing, considering we're in New York, I think we should get a hung jury," indicating that one or more jurors might prevent a unanimous conviction.

If the jury remains deadlocked at the end of deliberations, prosecutors would need to decide whether to retry the case.

Regarding the duration of jury deliberations, Habba estimated, "Maybe three days max, I hope so. But to me, it should be an acquittal."

Internet reacts to Alina Habba's remarks 

Soon after a clip of Habba's interview with Watters was shared on YouTube, viewers flocked to share their perspective. 

One shared, "What kind of lawyer says that her client 'should' get a hung jury? That is insane! Trump should get a directed verdict of acquittal. But that is wishing for a fair judge overseeing an unfair trial instead of an unfair judge overseeing an unfair trial."

Another highlighted, "It is malicious prosecution." "She's just a wannabe lawyer... She's also bad at being a spokesman," wrote a person," with one sharing, "Merchan needs to be jailed..not just disbarred."

Someone else slammed the judge saying, "This Judge should be barred from the Bench," while another echoed, "The Judge should be charged after this is over, Trump 2024 or before."

One more quipped, "MR Trump should get triple damages for his lawyers fees." "What a waste of time and money," simply said a netizen. 

An individual remarked, "Alina Habba's prediction of a hung jury almost guarantees a conviction. Has this dolt ever been right on anything?" 

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