Trump loses key lawyer as cases against ex-president loom: report

A key attorney on Donald Trump’s legal team has withdrawn from two New York Court cases, one a criminal trial tied to porn star hush money accusations and the second a civil defamation trial appeal, a new report shows.

Joseph Tacopina will no longer represent the former president in the falsified business records case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, tentatively slated to begin in March, according to the New York Times report.

The former president’s spokesperson Steven Cheung did not address Tacopina’s departure in a statement he provided to the Times, but reportedly said Trump had “the most experienced, qualified, disciplined, and overall strongest legal team ever assembled.”

The reason for Tacopina’s withdrawal was not immediately clear.

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The high-profile attorney has also represented Fox News host Sean Hannity, the former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and the rapper A$AP Rocky, the Times notes.

Todd Blanche also represents Trump in this case, one of four Trump faces in 2024. Bragg has accused Trump of hiding hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

The former president, and leading conservative candidate at the outset of 2024, pleaded not guilty.