Former Trump lawyer warns ex-president 'absolutely' could be convicted in federal criminal cases: 'Not to be taken lightly'

A lawyer – who recently bailed on representing Donald Trump – warned that the former president "absolutely" could be convicted in one of his federal criminal cases, and cautioned the charges are "not to be taken lightly."

Joseph Tacopina had represented Trump in the Manhattan case accusing the former president of falsifying business records in connection with a payoff to porn star Stormy Daniels. However, Tacopina suddenly abandoned representing Trump on Monday.

On Saturday night, Tacopina gave his "first and only interview" regarding representing Trump to Al Sharpton on his MSNBC show "Politics Nation."

“I left the team because it was just my time,” Tacopina said. “I had to follow my compass, and my compass told me my time there was done."

"There were things that just didn't work out for me," he stated. "That didn't make me want to continue in that role."

The lawyer added that he has "nothing bad to say about anyone," to which Sharpton retorted, "Well, you do know Donald Trump may have something bad to say about you after coming on my show?" Tacopina replied, "That's okay. That's part of the playbook."

Tacopina noted that he left because of “personal reasons,” which he chose not to discuss. He added that he would be bogged down for most of the year representing rapper A$AP Rocky – who is accused of firing a semi-automatic handgun at a former friend.

Tacopina pointed out that many former attorneys for the ex-president aired dirty laundry about Trump, but he would not because "it’s not professional, it’s petty, and it shows a lack of confidence in oneself when you go out there and do that.”

Tacopina explained that he didn't believe the hush money case was a strong case against Trump.

However, he warned that federal cases in Georgia and Washington, D.C. are "serious cases" that are "not to be taken lightly."

Sharpton asked Trump's former lawyer if the ex-president could be convicted, and Tacopina responded, "Is it possible? Absolutely. You have a jury of 12, who is ultimately going to decide this. Jack Smith is a federal prosecutor, who I knew from his days in Brooklyn. These are serious prosecutors. These are federal cases, and you have a jury."

Sharpton asked if the cases against Trump were politically motivated, and Tacopina replied, "Look, do I think there’s a political bent to some of this, some of the way this was gone about? Yes, I do. Do I think these cases are invalid cases? Look, the grand jury voted to indict, and he’s going to have to face a jury in Washington, D.C., Florida, and Georgia, and New York City. And I’d say maybe three of those venues are not particularly big Trump venues, right? New York City, Washington D.C., and Atlanta. So that’s going to be something to really have to grapple with there. And you can’t say there’s no way he’ll get convicted or there's no way he'll be sentenced."

The lawyer said the prosecutors likely "believe in their cases," but added that it "doesn't mean they're right."

Tacopina has previously represented high-profile clients, including rapper Meek Mill, former New York Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez, and Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle.

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