Joe Tacopina: who is Donald Trump lawyer - what has he said about Stormy Daniels, indictment and arraignment?

Joe Tacopina is known for his aggressive and tenacious approach to defending his clients
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Joe Tacopina, Donald Trump’s lawyer, has said he will "very aggressively" contest the legality of the Manhattan grand jury indictment.

Known for his sharp suits and celebrity clientele, Joe Tacopina is the public face of Trump’s defence team, and has said he will pore over the indictment once he gets it, then devise the next legal steps for his client.

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“We’re way too early to start deciding what motions we’re going to file or not file, and we do need to see the indictment and get to work,” he told ABC’s This Week. “I mean, look, this is the beginning.”

It is thought the former president will fly to New York and stay at his Trump Tower in Manhattan overnight ahead of his planned arraignment on Tuesday 4 April. He is expected to report to the courthouse early on Tuesday morning, where he will be fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken.

Investigators will complete arrest paperwork and check to see if he has any outstanding criminal charges or warrants. Once the booking is complete, Trump will appear before a judge for an afternoon arraignment.

Tacopina is a man who has suddenly found his name thrust into the spotlight, being the first person to represent a former US president in a criminal case in history. But who exactly is he, and what dealings has he had with Trump in the past? Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Joe Tacopina?

Joe Tacopina in 2015 (Photo: Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images)Joe Tacopina in 2015 (Photo: Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images)
Joe Tacopina in 2015 (Photo: Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images)
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Joe Tacopina was born in 1966 in Brooklyn, and grew up in Long Island. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from the University of Bridgeport School of Law.

He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, where he worked for several years before entering private practice. In 1994, he founded his own law firm, Tacopina, Seigel & DeOreo.

Over the course of his career, Tacopina has handled a wide range of cases, including white-collar crimes, drug offences and high-profile murder cases.

The lawyer is known for his aggressive and tenacious approach to defending his clients. Indeed, his tactics have been criticised by some in the legal community, who argue that his aggressive approach can sometimes cross ethical boundaries.

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He has also been a frequent commentator on legal issues in the media and has appeared on various news programs in the US, including CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.

What is Tacopina’s relationship with Donald Trump?

Former US President Donald Trump is due in court in New York on Tuesday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Former US President Donald Trump is due in court in New York on Tuesday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Former US President Donald Trump is due in court in New York on Tuesday. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Trump hired Tacopina in January of this year, initially to defend him against a civil lawsuit brought by magazine columnist E Jean Carroll, who says Trump raped her in the mid-1990s. That case is scheduled to go to trial next month.

In recent weeks, Tacopina has been making the former president’s case on TV news shows, questioning the investigation and the motives of Alvin Bragg (the first prosecutor to bring a criminal case against a former US president), challenging former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s credibility as a star witness, and suggesting Trump was extorted.

But it was not always like that - in the past, Tacopina has represented several clients who have been critical of Trump or have been targeted by him. In the early 2000s, Tacopina represented a group of tenants who were suing Trump over alleged safety violations in one of his buildings. The case was eventually settled out of court.

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In a TV appearance in 2018, long before Tacopina started representing Trump, he told CNN that the ‘hush money’ payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels appeared to be “illegal” and a “potential campaign finance issue”. He told the network that claims Trump was not aware of the payment “doesn’t pass the straight-face test”.

He has also previously been a vocal critic of Trump’s policies and rhetoric, particularly on immigration and criminal justice reform matters related to race and police brutality. In a 2020 interview with CNN, Tacopina called Trump’s record on criminal justice reform “abysmal” and accused him of using “racially charged rhetoric” to appeal to his base.

What has he said about the Trump indictment?

Tacopina has said he will “very aggressively” contest the legality of the Manhattan grand jury indictment, adding that he will pore over the indictment once he gets it, then devise the next legal steps for his client.

The indictment itself has remained sealed, as is standard in New York before an arraignment. Any chatter on whether he would ask for a venue change or file a motion to dismiss is premature, Tacopina has said, though it is common for defence attorneys to do both.

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“We’re way too early to start deciding what motions we’re going to file or not file, and we do need to see the indictment and get to work,” he told ABC’s This Week. “I mean, look, this is the beginning.”

As for the nautre of the arraingment itself, Tacopina has said that there are still unanswered questions regarding many aspects of proceedings.

“This is unprecedented… I just don’t know what to expect to see,” he said. “What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that it’s... a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say ‘not guilty,’ we set schedules to file motions and whatnot... and we move forward and get out [of] there.”

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