Lawyers for former President Donald Trump complained in New York City today that the court trying him on charges over whether he inflated the values of his real estate portfolio was allowing the prosecution to dispense with health protocols, saying “nothing else matters, except pursuing President Trump,” reported MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin on X.
The comments came after four members of the New York Attorney General’s team tested positive for COVID-19 last week. A lawyer for Trump said that the Attorney General’s office hadn’t notified the defense team about it until Saturday night, and that many people in the courtroom are vulnerable to COVID, reported Rubin.
Judge Arthur Engoron pointed out that nobody on the defense’s side was wearing face masks to protect against transmission. A lawyer for the Attorney General’s office, who was wearing a mask, then said that he was following the CDC guidelines to isolate, test, and mask to reduce transmission.
Cliff Robert, a lawyer for Trump, said that COVID was an epidemic and that one of Trump’s legal team members had also been diagnosed with COVID.
“Masks are available. We will proceed,” said Judge Engoron.
Another one of Trump’s attorneys, Chris Kise, said “it is ‘hypocritical’ for the AG to forge ahead while maintaining the health and safety of all New Yorkers.”
Alina Habba, Trump’s criminal lawyer and a key member of Trump’s reelection campaign, then rose to request an additional microphone, saying that she didn’t want to use a “contaminated” mic. Habba wasn’t masked, Rubin reported.
According to a May 2023 study published in the Journal of Infection and Public Health, COVID isn’t transmitted by droplets that land on inanimate surfaces.
Users on X joked about the hypocrisy of the requests given Trump and his supporters continual downplaying of the COVID pandemic. A September poll by Politico and Morning Consult found that 48% of Republicans think the COVID-19 vaccine is ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ unsafe for adults, with 34% of Trump primary voters saying the vaccine is unsafe for children, twice as much as other Republican voters
“Funny. These are the same people saying COVID is no big deal and it’s like the flu,” said @AnimalsRockOn.
“They were offered masks but refused,” pointed out @to_oliver. “Ridiculous.”
