Donald Trump arrest: Who is defending the former president?
Brady Knox
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Former President Donald Trump was arrested and charged with 34 counts of business fraud in a Manhattan court. Here’s a look at his legal team.
Three attorneys make up Trump’s legal defense team in the Manhattan case: Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles, and Joe Tacopina. Each has extensive legal experience, and all have defended celebrity and high-profile clients.
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Here’s a breakdown of the team defending the former president.
1. Todd Blanche
Blanche is the most recent addition to the team. He was hired on the eve of Trump’s arrest. After being approached by Trump, Blanche resigned from his position as a partner at the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.
“I have been asked to represent Trump in the recently charged DA case, and after much thought/consideration, I have decided it is the best thing for me to do and an opportunity I should not pass up,” Blanche said in a statement to Politico.
The white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor is serving as Trump’s lead counsel in the case. He has previously represented Trump allies Paul Manafort and Igor Fruman. Blanche won respect for his work in the Manafort case. It involved the former Manhattan district attorney. In it, Blanche convinced the judge to drop mortgage fraud and other related charges, successfully employing a double jeopardy argument.
“He represented Paul Manafort and did an excellent job there, so he is a great pick by President Trump,” legal expert Mike Davis told Fox News, referring to Blanche.
2. Susan Necheles
Necheles represented Trump against the Manhattan district attorney two years ago. She represented the Trump Organization in a tax fraud case and had previously gained fame for representing Venero “Benny Eggs” Mangano, a Mafia underboss.
She was praised as a “fearless and tenacious litigator” by former Assistant U.S. Attorney William Devaney, speaking with the Financial Times. Another former federal prosecutor familiar with Necheles and the case said she would be “the brains behind this,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
Chambers USA, the “gold-standard” of attorney ratings, praised her as an “outstanding defense lawyer” capable of “rabbit-out-of-the-hat results,” according to her law firm’s website.
3. Joe Tacopina
Tacopina first represented Trump in his civil defense against columnist E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault lawsuit. Tacopina has become the most visible of Trump’s team, frequently making media appearances. The Brooklyn-born attorney worked for his home borough’s district attorney’s office before switching to become a defense attorney, Fox News reported.
He has represented a host of high-profile clients, including several baseball players, New York police officers, and celebrities. He was able to get A Bronx Tale and Sopranos star Lillo Brancato acquitted of murder charges. He and an accomplice were accused of breaking into a home and killing an off-duty police officer.
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Tacopina has become controversial due to his media appearances. He’s apparently earned the ire of Trump lawyers in other legal cases. They have derided him as a “loudmouth” and “such a frickin’ idiot,” insiders told Rolling Stone. Tacopina has defended himself by accusing the critics of jealousy.
“When anonymous sources make comments criticizing others it reveals jealousy and cowardice. Anyone who takes a look at my track record of trial success and the results I have achieved for my clients couldn’t seriously criticize my work or my intelligence,” Tacopina said in a statement to the outlet. “My results are documented and if you truly wanted to do an honest and thorough story you would speak to the clients I served over the years instead of printing false allegations from ‘unnamed sources’ who are jealous that they haven’t been chosen in this case or the other many high profile cases I have had.”