FACT CHECK: Contrary To Instagram Video, Alina Habba Did Not Say Judge Kaplan Took A $5,000,000 Bribe To Convict Trump
A video shared on Instagram claims attorney Alina Habba purportedly said Judge Lewis Kaplan took a $5,000,000 bribe to convict former President Donald Trump in his recent defamation trial.
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Verdict: False
There is no evidence Habba made the purported remark. In addition, a jury recently found Trump guilty of defamation during a civil trial, not Kaplan, according to The Associated Press.
Fact Check:
Following the verdict in Trump’s recent civil defamation trial, former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb referred to Habba as a “loser,” according to The Hill. Cobb made the comment during an appearance on CNN, the outlet reported.
“Breaking news: Alina Habba: Judge Kaplan took $5,000,000 bribe to convict Donald Trump,” the Instagram video, which has received over 3,000 likes, purports. The video features side-by-side photos of Kaplan and Habba and does not have any sound. The video also does not provide a source to support its claim.
The claim is false. Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting Habba made the purported remark. In fact, the opposite is true. USA Today labeled the claim as false in a Feb. 12 article. Likewise, Habba has neither referenced the claim on the website for her law firm nor her verified X account. Furthermore, Trump has not publicly commented on the claim.
In addition, it was a jury, not Kaplan, who recently found Trump guilty of defamation during a civil trial, according to The Associated Press. The jury ordered Trump to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million following a previous case where he was ordered to pay her $5 million, the outlet reported. Kaplan served as the judge on both trials, according to the same article from USA Today. Habba represented Trump during the recent defamation case, the outlet indicated.
Although Habba did not accuse Kaplan of taking a bribe in relation to the case, she did note that Team Trump would “keep fighting” in spite of the jury’s verdict. (RELATED: Viral Instagram Video Claims Trump Has Won The Republican Nomination For The 2024 Election)
“It will not deter us. We will keep fighting. And, I assure you, we didn’t win today, but we will win,” Habba said, according to The Associated Press.
Check Your Fact has contacted Habba Law for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
