Alina Habba Once More Presents Bizarre Defense of Trump’s Actions

Donald Trump’s attorney Alina Habba shared an interesting explanation for why the former president has been holding on to printouts of news articles in court:“He’s educating himself.”

During an interview on Fox News, Habba was asked about Trump’s current mood during his hush-money trial. She replied that Trump is “the biggest fighter I know,” before mentioning why Trump carries papers around.

“He’s reading. He’s educating himself, and he’s educating the country on what is happening,” she said.

It’s not the first time Habba has mentioned Trump’s reading habits. She used them to defend against reports that the former president dozed off in court last week, claiming that it was because “he reads a lot.” Carrying printouts of news articles even in court would seem to back up Habba’s words, except for the fact that Trump notoriously has a short attention span. While he was president, memos and policy papers were kept to a single page, with plenty of graphics and maps to hold his attention.

Trump is a voracious reader of print media, though, particularly when it’s all about him. Even after his presidency, Trump still maintains print subscriptions to The New York Post and The New York Times at his Mar-a-Lago residence, and aides print out articles from the internet for him to read, according to a recent Politico report.

Since he’s legally required to be in court every day, Trump may just be trying to keep up with his usual reading habits by taking those printouts into court. They may be a distraction from the courtroom’s cold temperatures or part of an effort to stay awake. Regardless, when you’re facing 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records to hide an affair with an adult film actress before an election, you can’t say publicly that you find your trial boring and need something to read.