WEBVTT - Trump's Lawyer Leading Aggressive Counterattacks

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Law with June Brusso from Bloomberg Radio. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>she's a very good person. You have many lawyers, I

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<v Speaker 1>have any lawyers, uh, and I've had many lawyers. But

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<v Speaker 1>she's said somebody that I think it's done a very

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<v Speaker 1>very good job. One couplic cases, and we have numerous

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<v Speaker 1>cases that never happened. You know, I'm always a target,

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<v Speaker 1>unfortunately and very sadly as it's very it's a very

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<v Speaker 1>unfair situation. Former President Donald Trump is singing the praises

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<v Speaker 1>of the attorney who's using an aggressive legal strategy to

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<v Speaker 1>counter attack in some of his highest priority legal fights.

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Legal reporter Eric Larson profiled Trump's new lawyer, Elena Habba,

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<v Speaker 1>and spoke to the former president to get his take

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<v Speaker 1>on her. Eric start by telling us a little about

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<v Speaker 1>Elena Habba. So, Elena Habba is a thirty eight year

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<v Speaker 1>old lawyer from New Jersey. She founded a small law

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<v Speaker 1>firm that now has five lawyers total. She is a

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<v Speaker 1>member of Donald Trump's Bedminster golf Club. She's fairly well

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<v Speaker 1>to do. She's originally from New Jersey, and she told

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<v Speaker 1>me that she wanted to help Trump out because she

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<v Speaker 1>is a true believer in his legal causes. She's not

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<v Speaker 1>a high profile name. Why did Trump go with her?

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<v Speaker 1>I had heard from her and separately from Trump, that

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<v Speaker 1>other members that the Bedminster Golf Club had told Trump

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<v Speaker 1>about her legal work for them. So she had represented

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<v Speaker 1>other members at the club, done some legal work here

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<v Speaker 1>and there, and they liked I guess the results, and

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<v Speaker 1>they knew that Trump is always in need of legal help.

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<v Speaker 1>So she was recommended and it basically he had someone

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<v Speaker 1>at the club reach out her, get her business card.

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<v Speaker 1>Then several interviews followed with him in person and then

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<v Speaker 1>also with the Trump organization legal team. In general. She

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<v Speaker 1>has an aggressive legal strategy, which Trump likes. Yeah, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>she's been very aggressive in court. You know, Trump says

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<v Speaker 1>this was his idea to get more aggressive, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think that in Elena Habba he found someone willing to

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<v Speaker 1>carry out this aggressive strategy. So it started out with

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<v Speaker 1>your call that Trump had two lawsuits against him by

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<v Speaker 1>different women Ee Gene Carroll, New York advice columnist and

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<v Speaker 1>a former Apprentice contestant Summer Reservos. They both claimed that

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<v Speaker 1>they were sexually assaulted by him and that he defamed

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<v Speaker 1>them by denying it. So those cases had been going

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<v Speaker 1>on for a while, and Elena Habba took over his

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<v Speaker 1>defense and basically threatened counterclaims against them under the anti

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<v Speaker 1>slap laws. And you know, alleging bad faith lawsuits had

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<v Speaker 1>been filed against Trump sum Reservos. The apprentice contestant dropped

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<v Speaker 1>her lawsuit after that, and in the case of Eging Carroll,

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<v Speaker 1>a judge ruled that the claim was coming too late.

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<v Speaker 1>But Trump was real happy about that Zervos case going away.

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<v Speaker 1>He congratulated her on that. He printed out a news

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<v Speaker 1>article and signed it, and she has a framed copy

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<v Speaker 1>of that hanging on her wall. So at any rate,

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<v Speaker 1>he gave her some more matters to handle, and then

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<v Speaker 1>she went on the offense against his other courtroom foes. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>She's filed some lawsuits that seemed designed to get headlines

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<v Speaker 1>and also looked like they could be easily dismissed. I mean, certainly,

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<v Speaker 1>I spoke with legal experts at the time that these

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<v Speaker 1>lawsuits were filed who said that they seemed pretty weak,

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<v Speaker 1>that they were frivolous perhaps, So yeah, we'll see what happens.

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<v Speaker 1>These are three separate lawsuits, one filed against the new

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<v Speaker 1>York Attorney General Leticia James, claiming that her investigation into

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<v Speaker 1>Trump's company is politically motivated in bogus and seeking an

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<v Speaker 1>injunction to force the investigation to end. The other was

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<v Speaker 1>filed more recently against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party and

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<v Speaker 1>several others, alleging a big conspiracy to undermine Trump while

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<v Speaker 1>he was in office in regards to the Russia investigation

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<v Speaker 1>and things like that. And then another lawsuit filed against

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<v Speaker 1>his estranged niece Mary Trump and The New York Times,

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<v Speaker 1>seeking a hundred million dollars in damages for her acting

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<v Speaker 1>as a source for the newspapers award winning article about

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<v Speaker 1>his finances. Our track record on Trump cases hasn't been

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<v Speaker 1>all wins, No, definitely, not so far. We've seen a

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<v Speaker 1>few big setbacks. She had tried to fight against subpoenas

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<v Speaker 1>that were issued by the New York Attorney General to

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<v Speaker 1>prevent Trump and two of his children, Don Junior and

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<v Speaker 1>Ivanka from having to testify under oath. They really wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid that, and she argued really hard against it,

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<v Speaker 1>but a judge upheld those subpoenas back in February. She's

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<v Speaker 1>appealing that, but she lost on that and in regards

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<v Speaker 1>to the subpoena for Trump's records that was also upheld,

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<v Speaker 1>and Trump agreed to abide by it with Alena Habba's help,

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<v Speaker 1>but instead he didn't follow through, and she basically went

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<v Speaker 1>to the court on the day that the documents were

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<v Speaker 1>due and said, actually, we object to this subpoena. The

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<v Speaker 1>judge was not happy. He held Donald Trump in contempt

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<v Speaker 1>of court and find him ten thousand dollars a day,

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<v Speaker 1>which was just lifted the other day. Provisionally, they're trying

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<v Speaker 1>to get him out of contempt, but he owes the

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<v Speaker 1>court a hundred and ten thousand dollars now. And frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>this is a result of the way that Elina Habba

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<v Speaker 1>handled it. They both fought the judge for this, by

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<v Speaker 1>the way, and Trump does not think that miss Habba

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<v Speaker 1>did anything wrong in her representation. Drop in the bucket

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<v Speaker 1>for Trump. Let's listen to what Trump told you about

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<v Speaker 1>that ruling. It's just a very unfinished situation. But I

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<v Speaker 1>think she's done a very good job and she'll continue

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<v Speaker 1>to do. A story in The Daily Beast in March

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<v Speaker 1>described other members of Trump's legal team complaining about hob

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<v Speaker 1>and mocking her. Yes and that was one of probably

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<v Speaker 1>several pieces in the legal news world that had some

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<v Speaker 1>negative things to say about miss hobb And, and frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>that's part of the reason I wanted to write this profile.

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<v Speaker 1>I got a chance to email with her in covering

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<v Speaker 1>these cases and then finally met her in person in

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<v Speaker 1>court during that contempt hearing, and you know, regardless of

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<v Speaker 1>the cases and how strongly are I felt like she

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<v Speaker 1>deserved a little bit more of a fair shake in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of making her a little more three dimensional and

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<v Speaker 1>and showing what she she's like because some of those

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<v Speaker 1>pieces I'm not going to call anyone out specifically, but

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<v Speaker 1>she said that made her feel like she was being

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<v Speaker 1>portrayed as having no experience, some podunk lawyer in New

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<v Speaker 1>Jersey who had some personal connection to Trump and got

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<v Speaker 1>this work. She says that that's just not true, and

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<v Speaker 1>I said, fine, you know, I want to learn more

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<v Speaker 1>about you. So that's what the pieces about. Final question,

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<v Speaker 1>Trump is known for stiffing some of his lawyers. Is

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<v Speaker 1>she being paid? I did ask her that and she

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<v Speaker 1>said yes, she said that she is being paid, and

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<v Speaker 1>and I believe her so great profile. Thanks so much, Eric,

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<v Speaker 1>That's Bloomberg legal reporter Eric Larson coming up next on

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<v Speaker 1>the Bloomberg Law Show, How to Spot Dishonest Lawyers. They're

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<v Speaker 1>probably playing a game. I'm June Grosso and you're listening

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<v Speaker 1>to Bloomberg