Trump's Legal Battle with New York Prosecutors and Experienced Lawyers
Donald Trump and New York prosecutors have been at odds for months, with Trump’s allies claiming that the district attorney’s office is engaged in a “political witch-hunt.” The battle will now occur in a run-down Manhattan courtroom between two highly experienced criminal lawyers: Susan Necheles, known for defending notorious mobster “Benny Eggs,” and Susan Hoffinger, a member of a prominent legal dynasty who joined the team investigating Trump’s alleged wrongdoings last year. Though the two lawyers faced each other before in a tax fraud trial against the Trump Organization, they will now argue a new legal theory to convict the former president. After Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday, Necheles is expected to challenge the validity of the indictment, with Joe Tacopina, also representing Trump, arguing that the $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 was not a crime. The DA’s case relies on proving that the transaction was a felony, as it was allegedly recorded as legal fees but was intended to benefit Trump’s election campaign in violation of federal law. Hoffinger and her team must also demonstrate that the statute of limitations for the offense was paused when Trump left New York, which is typically two years.
Necheles and Hoffinger: Experienced Lawyers on Opposing Sides of Trump's Legal Battle
Donald Trump's legal battle with New York prosecutors is moving to the courtroom. The former President's allies claim he is a victim of a "political witch-hunt" by a partisan district attorney's office. A Manhattan court legal showdown will occur between two experienced attorneys, Susan Necheles and Susan Hoffinger, in a Manhattan court. Necheles, a renowned litigator known for her fearless and tenacious approach, will lead Trump's defense. Hoffinger, a distinguished legal dynasty member, was brought in by the Democratic district attorney Alvin Bragg to bolster the team investigating Trump's alleged misdeeds.
Necheles and Hoffinger are familiar and have argued against each other before. Still, the case against Trump requires a legal theory that neither lawyer has had to discuss before. Necheles is expected to challenge the validity of the DA's indictment, while Trump's other attorney, Joe Tacopina, will likely be in the media spotlight, touting a legal defense. However, Necheles will be the brains behind the operation, according to a former federal prosecutor who knows the case well.
Necheles grew up in Massachusetts and attended Yale law school, where she was the editor of the institution's prestigious law journal. Hoffinger, on the other hand, comes from a criminal defense law family, and both women are highly respected among their peers for their extensive experience.
Necheles has a background working with Frederick Hafetz, a legendary figure in New York’s white-collar bar, whose clients included a lineup of Italian mobsters, a former Miss America, and Lady Astor’s son. With her history of defending the likes of Bronx senator Pedro Espada and Democrat donor Jeremy Reichberg, who was found guilty of bribing high-ranking police officers, Necheles is familiar with the city’s eccentric personalities. It is rumored that in 2019, Harvey Weinstein approached Necheles to represent him in the face of sexual assault allegations, knowing her reputation for using “extremely creative arguments.”
Kate Cassidy, a criminal defense lawyer at Morvillo Abramowitz, who worked with Necheles on the defense of liquor heir Clare Bronfman, attests to her being “totally fearless” and willing to stand up to both the government and judges.
Hoffinger, on the other hand, graduated from Amherst College and Columbia Law School and served in the Manhattan district attorney’s office under Robert Morgenthau from 1992 to 2000. It was a time when “grunt work” was unavoidable, according to a contemporary, and even John F Kennedy Jr had to prove himself worthy.
Hoffinger transitioned from private practice with her family to join the Manhattan district attorney's office last year following the sudden departures of two senior prosecutors disenchanted by the office's decision not to pursue a case against Trump.
Since then, Hoffinger has examined the DA's legal arguments, employing a strategy she outlined in a 2018 interview while practicing as a defense lawyer. "I start every case by asking: 'what is the prosecutor thinking? How will they marshal the facts to try to prove the defendant guilty?'" Hoffinger said at the time. "My objective is to reveal and drive home the weaknesses in the government's case," she added, concluding that "one cannot over-prepare."
Although now advocating for the government, Hoffinger's former colleagues stated that she would "follow the tradition" of the Manhattan DA's office by treating the defendant the same as any other and avoiding a sensational trial. "She is a class act," said a lawyer who had worked for the Trumps.
Similarly, Necheles' supporters from both sides praised her, with one former colleague saying, "I think she will approach this case just like any other case. She is relentless and digs into the facts. You are not going to see her on the morning shows."
