'Probably never got paid!' Internet mocks Donald Trump after Joe Tacopina withdraws as ex-prez's lawyer

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Joe Tacopina, an attorney for Donald Trump, will no longer represent the former President in the criminal hush money case and a civil suit reported Reuters.

"I write to respectfully inform the Court that my firm, Chad Seigel, and I hereby withdraw as counsel for Defendant Donald J Trump in this proceeding," Tacopina wrote in a letter sent to Judge Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the hush money case on Monday, January 15.

The attorney later told ABC News, "I withdrew on all matters."

The specific cause for the abrupt withdrawal remains undisclosed at this time.

The attorney's move came on the day of the Iowa caucus, where Trump secured a landslide victory.

However, Tacopina's withdrawal coincided with the defamation trial in New York City, scheduled to commence on Wednesday, January 16. Though the White House hopeful requested a delay to attend his mother-in-law's funeral, the judge denied it.

What are the two cases in which Joe Tacopina represents Trump?

Tacopina represented Trump in two significant cases.

He defended the former real estate mogul in the Manhattan Supreme Court on criminal charges of falsifying records regarding hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

In 2016, Trump paid $130,000 through his then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen to silence the porn star about their extramarital affair.

The trial is tentatively scheduled to start in March.

The second case, Tacopina, represented Trump is a defamation suit filed by writer E Jean Carroll. A Manhattan federal court jury found the former President guilty of sexually abusing and defaming her.

The major shift in his legal team comes amid the Hawkeye state declaring their support for his 2024 presidential run, likely leading him to grab the nominee ticket to face President Joe Biden in November.

Internet reacts as Joe Tacopina leaves Trump's legal team

Internet users mocked the former President over Tacopina's withdrawal during a crucial moment of the election year.

Many social media responses connected the incident to Trump's non-payment of the lawyer, with some humorously suggesting that his attorney, Alina Habba, could be considering a similar course of action.

One user wrote, "Trump probably not paying him…."

Another user remarked, "He knew he wasn’t going to win and probably knew he would never be paid? The same realization Alina Habba is sizzling with."

"Probably on the not getting paid list," read a third response. Another user opined the same, "Short reason: He never got paid."

A fifth user added, "He wants to save what’s left of his career, he has to wash off the stench."

"Trump probably wanted him to put Sammy the bull on the witness stand for him to prove 'election fraud'" read another mocking remark.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.