Trump thinks his lawyer is insufficiently aggressive toward the judge, jury, and witnesses
Justin Lane-Pool via Getty Images
- Donald Trump feels his lead defense lawyer hasn't been aggressive enough, per The New York Times.
- Trump is currently facing his first criminal trial in Manhattan.
- He was held in contempt of court on Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating his gag order.
Former President Donald Trump thinks the lawyer representing him in his hush-money trial isn't combative enough, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Trump is currently facing his first criminal trial in a Manhattan court, where he's been accused of falsifying business records to cover up a sexual affair with the porn star Stormy Daniels.
Todd Blanche, an ex-federal prosecutor turned white-collar defense lawyer, is currently representing Trump as his lead lawyer. Trump had once praised Blanche, saying that he was an intelligent and good lawyer, The Times said in a report on April 4.
But Blanche, it seems, might no longer be in Trump's good graces.
It's been just over two weeks since the trial started on April 15 and Trump has begun grousing about Blanche's performance. The former president has criticized Blanche for being insufficiently aggressive to the trial's judge, jury and witnesses, The Times reported on Tuesday, citing four people familiar with the matter.
Alina Habba, a legal spokesperson for Trump told The Times that Blanche is a "crucial part" of the team. Blanche declined comment when approached by The Times.
"Anonymous comments from people who aren't in the room are just that — anonymous comments from people who aren't in the room," Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement to BI. "I would be highly skeptical of any gossip or hearsay surrounding this case."
To be sure, Blanche hasn't had an easy time defending his client. Last week, Blanche was slammed by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan for his "irrelevant" arguments on why Trump shouldn't be held in contempt of court for violating his gag order repeatedly.
"You're losing all credibility with the court," Merchan told Blanche on April 23.
Trump was ultimately held in contempt of court on Tuesday and fined $9,000 for violating his gag order multiple times.
The hush-money trial isn't the only criminal case Trump is on the line for.
Trump has also been charged in three other criminal cases, including a state criminal case in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Besides Georgia, Trump faces two federal cases: one relating to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and another in which he's accused of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office.
None of the three cases have firm trial dates set yet.