Former Trump lawyer says it’s ‘absolutely’ possible former president will be convicted
Joe Tacopina, one of former President Trump’s New York trial lawyers, offered an unfavorable prediction for his former client’s ongoing legal battles and contended it is “absolutely possible,” Trump will be convicted in one of his federal criminal cases.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday, Tacopina called some of Trump’s federal cases “serious” and “not to be taken lightly.”
When pressed by Sharpton if it is possible Trump could end up convicted in one of his criminal cases, Tacopina said, “Oh, is it possible? Absolutely.”
“You have a jury of 12 who’s going to ultimately decide this,” Tacopina continued. “Jack Smith is a federal prosecutor who I knew from his days in Brooklyn … they’re serious prosecutors and these are federal cases and you have a jury here.”
Trump faces four felony counts in D.C. over allegations he was involved in a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and stood at the center of a campaign to block the certification of votes for President Biden on Jan. 6, 2021.
In a follow-up question, Sharpton asked Tacopina to clarify if he believed they are “good cases” and “not just politics.”
“Look, do I think there’s a political bent to some of this, some of the way this was gone about? Yes. I do,” Tacopina responded. “Do I think these cases are invalid cases? Look, the grand jury voted to indict and he’s going to have to face a jury in Washington, D.C.”
Sharpton interjected to point out the former president will have to face an additional three grand juries on top of one in the nation’s capital, including in Florida, Georgia and New York City.
The former president faces 91 felony counts across four federal indictments. This includes 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York City in connection with alleged hush payments to cover up an alleged affair.
Tacopina previously represented Trump in the hush money case, along with his appeal of a sexual battery civil lawsuit brought by longtime advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, but confirmed earlier this month he would withdraw from both cases.
Tacopina is a former Brooklyn prosecutor and is known for his representation of high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson, A-Rod, Meek Mill and Don Imus.
Tacopina over the weekend said three of the trial locations — New York City, Washington and Atlanta are “not particularly big Trump venues.”
“So that’s going to be something to really have to grapple with there,” he said. “And you can’t say, ‘there’s no way he’ll get convicted,'” adding later he believes the prosecutors “believe in their cases,” when asked if there is a political angle to the cases.
Trump’s charges in Florida stem from allegations over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, while charges in Georgia accuse him of a plot to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
The former president has pleaded not guilty in all four cases and is attempting to get the Justice Department’s case tossed on the grounds of presidential immunity. The case was heard by a D.C. appeals court earlier this month.