After he was indicted for mishandling classified documents, former President Donald Trump’s counsel advised him on a possible plea bargain.
Last week, Trump was indicted on 37 counts by the Justice Department including 31 counts of “Willful Retention of National Defense Information,” and one count each of “Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice,” “Withholding a Document or Record,” “Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record,” “Concealing a Document in a Federal Investigation,” “Scheme to Conceal,” and “False Statements and Representations.”
“I know, I would never advise that, especially when he’s not done anything wrong. You take a plea deal to make something go away,” attorney Alina Habba said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” according to Fox News.
“That’s an admission of guilt. He would never admit guilt. Because there was nothing wrong with declassifying documents, taking documents with you,” she said.
Habba said a defendant seeks a deal “when you’ve done something wrong or when you have no shot. We have strong defenses.”
Fox's Shannon Bream on Trump indictment: "Any chance that he would take a plea deal?"
Trump attorney Alina Habba: "No. I could never imagine. I know I would never advise that, especially when he's not done anything wrong. You take a plea deal to make something go away." pic.twitter.com/tctrhTvGHS
— The Recount (@therecount) June 11, 2023
“The only thing that was wrong was the raid on his home and the complete dual-tier system of justice that we’re seeing here, when the Biden family is being treated completely differently than the Trump family,” she said, according to The Hill.
Habba cautioned against drawing premature conclusions from the indictment.
“An indictment is a one-sided document,” Habba told Fox News.
'VERY SCARY TIME': Trump's attorney @AlinaHabba says the former president's indictment has everything to do with keeping him from running for president. pic.twitter.com/iBzswZR9G5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 10, 2023
“There is context to everything. That context will be brought out on defense. And that’s going to be our opportunity. We have not had an opportunity to give our side,” she also said, according to Politico.
Habba said Trump “has every right to have classified documents that he declassified under the Presidential Records Act.”
She said Trump’s critics are “making it sound like a five-alarm fire. It’s a very simple thing that everybody — and we’ve seen numerous people able to take it. And frankly, he was the only one that could take classified documents that he declassified under the Presidential Records Act,” according to Mediaite.
Trump attorney Alina Habba just said
"When your name is Donald Trump, when you're leading in the polls, you are going to get hit hard. You are going to get indicted until you can't take it anymore. But they picked the wrong guy.”
I STAND WITH TRUMP. pic.twitter.com/9LlcUEZqzd
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) June 9, 2023
According to the Independent, Habba said she was repulsed by the misuse of the law in an interview on Friday.
“I’m embarrassed to be a lawyer at this moment. Honestly, I am ashamed. I’m ashamed to be a lawyer. I’m ashamed that this is the state of our country,” she said.
Habba said it was “obvious that there’s this dual system of justice. This is selective prosecution, selective persecution. It is absolute persecution. It is Russia third world stuff, and it should not be happening.”
Her client completely agrees with Habba’s recommendation to fight back. Saturday, Trump was asked what would happen to his presidential campaign if he were to be found guilty.
“I’ll never leave,” Trump said, according to Politico.