Trump lawyer says she’s ‘ashamed’ and ‘embarrassed’ over secret papers indictment

Former president Donald Trump’s attorney Alina Habba said on Fox News that she is “ashamed” and “embarrassed” to be a lawyer after the former president was indicted.

Ms Habba spoke on Jesse Watters’ show amid news that a federal grand jury indicted Mr Trump on charges related to his allegedly unlawful retention of national defence information.

Mr Trump’s attorney said the indictment was a distraction from supposed impropriety on behalf of President Joe Biden, pointing to the fact that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer was planning to hold FBI Director Christoper Wray, whom Mr Trump nominated to lead the bureau in 2017, in contempt of Congress for supposedly withholding documents. House Republicans have so far come up short in their accusations against Mr Biden.

Mr Comer retracted the contempt vote after the FBI agreed to share documents, The New York Times reported.

House Republicans have so far come up short in their accusations against Mr Biden.

“Every single time there is a coordinated dance that is becoming obvious to the American people because they are smart,” Ms Habba said.

The Trump attorney added that the indictments of the twice-impeached former president were the equivalent of a “shiny ball” meant to distract the American public.

“I'm embarrassed to be a lawyer at this moment,” she said. “Honestly, I am ashamed. I'm ashamed to be a lawyer. I'm ashamed that this is the state of our country.”

Ms Habba claimed the indictment showed the United States had a two-tiered system of justice.

“And it is so obvious that there's this dual system of justice,” she said. “This is selective prosecution, selective persecution. It is absolute persecution. It is Russia third world stuff, and it should not be happening.”

Mr Trump first broadcast the indictment on his Truth Social networking platform on Thursday, one day after The Independent had reported that federal prosecutors planned to ask a grand jury to indict Mr Trump.

“I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election,” Mr Trump said, denying his guilt and proclaiming he is an “innocent man.”

Mr Trump said he has been summoned to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday by 3 pm ET.

The 49-page indictment was unsealed on Friday afternoon, revealing Mr Trump allegedly showed classified documents to unauthorised people on two separate occasions.

The 37 counts against him include: willful retention of national defence information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations.