Trump Lawyer Alina Habba Caused A Stir With This One Pricey Accessory
As a high-profile attorney of an even higher-profile ex-POTUS client, former President Donald Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, is no stranger to controversy. However, one particular incident that resulted in public outcry in March 2024 had less to do with who she was representing in court and more to do with who she was wearing on her arm.
On March 12, 2024, a photo of Habba carrying a crocodile-skin Hermés Birkin bag was published to X, formerly known as Twitter. While we're unsure of the exact model of Birkin bag Habba was sporting, similar purses retail for over $70,000 at Madison Avenue Couture. Online users were quick to take note — and voice their opinion on — the accessory's sizable price tag.
"These rich, entitled guys want to cut Medicare benefits! Habba holds a 70K bag that's more than an average American makes in a year. Wake up America!" One user wrote. "You'd think after costing Trump like, 3/4 of a billion $$ as his lawyer, she might choose a bag from Walmart," another X user commented.
People condemned Alina Habba's pricey purchase amidst her and her client's financial woes
Much of the backlash to Alina Habba's luxurious accessory centered around what people perceived as an ironic display of wealth amid former President Donald Trump's money woes. In February 2024, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur F. Engeron issued Trump a staggering $464 million fine, which included penalties, interest, and disgorgement fees, in connection with Trump's ongoing civil fraud case with the state of New York.
Around the same time that Habba was spotted carrying a handbag worth over $70,000, Trump's legal team — which includes Habba, Clifford Robert, Christopher Kise, and John Sauer — informed the New York court that their client was unable to procure an underwriter for a bond of that magnitude. The attorneys successfully appealed for Trump's bond to be reduced to $175 million.
But Trump isn't the only party dealing with financial trouble. Habba and her husband, Greg Reuben, also face major money issues. In November 2023, InTouch reported that Habba's two active liens against her law firm by Maine's Department of Labor and her husband's mountain of active state tax warrants add up to over one million dollars of debt. Per InTouch's statistics, the estimated cost of Alina's handbag would cover at least one payment that Reuben owes to New York's Albany County.
Her accessories aren't the only things that have landed attorney Alina Habba in hot water
Alina Habba's Hermés scandal is hardly the first time she's stirred up controversy during her tenure as former President Donald Trump's attorney. Like her client, Habba has formed a reputation for her fiery, unapologetic, and brash attitude. In early March 2024, the attorney made headlines after a former Trump National Golf Club employee accused Habba of coercing her to sign an NDA regarding sexual harassment the employee suffered while working at Trump's club.
Habba's "no holds barred" approach is well documented in the courtroom, too. She crossed a major line with U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan during her client's highly publicized defamation trial with E. Jean Carroll. Despite Trump being found guilty of sexually harassing and later defaming Carroll in a previous trial in 2023, Habba repeatedly implied Carroll had lied about her assault. Kaplan went so far as to threaten Habba with jail time over her behavior.
As the ex-POTUS' financial and legal woes continue into 2024, it's unclear if Habba will remain on Trump's legal team or bow out of the contentious battle — whether of her own accord or through termination. Indeed, between her controversies and her and her husband's shared million-dollar debts, Habba clearly has enough on her plate to worry about besides her fine-riddled client.