Donald Trump's former lawyer Joe Tacopina announced he would no longer be representing the embattled ex-prez as several of his high-profile trials loom.
Tacopina and his firm previously represented the 77-year-old in a civil suit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll, as well as his upcoming Stormy Daniels hush money case. Now, Trump's niece, Mary, 58, claims the loss of the lawyers will be "burning in his mind" despite his recent win in the Iowa caucuses.
"Donald’s defense team was rocked by news today that attorney Joseph Tacopina is dropping Donald as a client — not only for his Manhattan criminal case, but also for the appeal of E. Jean Carroll’s first verdict against him," Mary wrote to her Substack.
"Tacopina, one of Donald’s key advocates, appeared by his side during his New York criminal arraignment after being charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg," she continued. "But, now, Tacopina will become somebody Donald will pretend not to know."
The psychologist noted it's not "unusual" for the former POTUS to "go through lawyers at an alarming rate" but Tacopina's "high profile status shows just how dysfunctional Donald’s 'defense' really is."
"Losing just one key lawyer could have a devastating impact on a case, but not only is Tacopina dumping Donald as a client — his entire firm is leaving," she added. "That means Donald is losing two other lawyers… all in the same day."
Mary then outlined the reasons she believes this will be a "major setback" for the controversial politician.
"Typically, legal counsel develops a theory of the case in order to help guide preparation," she explained. "This close to trial, lawyers will have spent hundreds, perhaps thousands of hours compiling evidence and gaining an understanding of the nuances of the case. New lawyers might not have to start from scratch, but catching up would be a difficult task."
"Donald may have scored a win with his cult in the Iowa caucus today, but in terms of the stakes of him remaining a free man, his loss of counsel may be much more relevant going forward," she pointed out.
Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!
As OK! previously reported, Donald appeared in court on Tuesday, January 16, for the first day of Carroll's civil defamation trial.
He was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation in May 2023 and was ordered to pay $5 million in punitive and compensatory damages. The politician continued to publicly mock Carroll, attempted to discredit her reputation and claimed the case was a "scam."
The trial will determine how much Donald must pay the former journalist.
