On Tuesday, a New York attorney grievance committee dismissed a complaint lodged by adult film performer Stormy Daniels, asserting a conflict of interest against one of former President Trump’s lawyers in the hush-money case. Daniels, who received money central to Trump’s criminal case in 2016, filed the complaint earlier this year, contending that attorney Joe Tacopina had a conflict due to his prior interactions with her.
Jorge Dopico, Chief Attorney for the Attorney Grievance Committee of the First Judicial Department, informed Tacopina in a letter on Tuesday, “Following an investigation of the allegations in the above-referenced complaint filed against you, the Committee has determined to take no further action.”
In September, the judge overseeing Trump’s hush money case similarly ruled that Tacopina had no conflict, although Tacopina agreed not to cross-examine Daniels if she were to testify at trial.
Tacopina commented on the situation, stating, “Now both the court and the disciplinary committee have ruled that there was no conflict or ethical violation at all, as I have said from day one. It seems that Stormy Daniels and her joke of a lawyer’s 15 minutes of fame have come to an appropriate end.”
Trump faces 34 felony counts in the case, accused of falsifying business records over reimbursements to his then-fixer and personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels to keep quiet about allegations of an affair with Trump. Trump, who pleaded not guilty, denies the affair.
Concerns about Tacopina’s involvement were raised during Trump’s arraignment in April when Daniels’s attorney, Clark Brewster, indicated in a letter that Daniels had previously sought consultation from Tacopina’s law firm regarding the hush money arrangement. Tacopina has consistently maintained that he never represented Daniels and never met with her.
Brewster commented on the committee’s decision, saying, “I trust that the grievance committee gave the complaint diligent and careful consideration. In reporting the facts to the committee, I simply felt obliged under the rules of Professional Conduct to disclose the facts implicating a rules violation and thereupon leave it to a well-constituted committee to render its judgment.”
Trump’s trial in the case is scheduled to commence on March 25, one of four criminal cases the former president faces as he seeks to return to the White House. Pre-trial attempts to dismiss the charges are underway, and the judge is set to consider these motions during a hearing on February 15, which could also impact the trial schedule.
