Former President Donald Trump's attorney Alina Habba had social users cackling after she claimed in an interview with Newsmax that former President Donald Trump's love of reading was the reason he appeared to fall asleep during jury selection on day one of his hush money trial.
Habba's remarks came in response to a report earlier this week from New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, one of the journalists present in the courtroom and the first to report that Trump appeared to have fallen asleep during the proceedings.
Haberman wrote that Trump "seemed alternately irritated and exhausted Monday morning," later relaying that he "appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest." Notably, one of Trump's attorneys "passed him notes for several minutes before Mr. Trump appeared to jolt awake and notice them."
When asked for her thoughts on Haberman's report, Habba offered the following excuse:
"I was not there. I find that a remarkable story at best. President Trump, you know, he reads a lot."
"I don't know what he was doing, I wasn't there, there are no cameras. I wish there were, but he has been sitting there as he's forced to at the threat of going to jail if he's not sitting there, for what I assume would be a very mundane day, they are going through jury selection."
"There were a tremendous amount of emotions being heard yesterday. I wasn't there so I can't comment on that. I find that to be a ridiculous thought though."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Habba's remarks came after the Trump campaign—which has historically questioned President Joe Biden's mental fitness and referred to him as "Sleepy Joe"—described reports that the former President fell asleep as "100% Fake News coming from 'journalists' who weren't even in the courtroom."
And in truth, when was the last time anyone had heard of Trump reading a book other than Adolf Hitler's manifesto Mein Kampf, which his ex-wife Ivanka Trump once claimed he kept in a bedside cabinet? (Funnily enough, Trump recently insisted he'd never read the book when asked to respond to critics who compared his anti-immigrant rhetoric to the genocidal dictator's.)
No one was buying Habba's excuse for a man whose own staff once revealed didn't bother to read his own daily intelligence briefings.
Trump's courtroom nap exposed him to mockery this week from comedian and political commentator Jon Stewart, who asked his audience to "Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored at your own trial."
The criminal trial in New York revolves around accusations that Trump falsified business documents in an attempt to conceal "hush money" payments made to adult film performer Stormy Daniels before the 2016 general election.
Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, reportedly paid $130,000 to Daniels to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump. These payments were later reimbursed to Cohen by the Trump Organization through monthly installments, which were recorded as payments for legal services.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. News outlets confirmed that 12 jurors—seven men and five women—have been selected to determine the fate of the first president ever to face criminal charges. The remaining alternates are set to be chosen on Friday with the trial set to commence on Monday.
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