UJ
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On Monday, President Donald Trump declared the appointment of Alina Habba, his former personal attorney, as the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, effective immediately.
Currently, Habba serves as counselor to the president.
Trump announced in a Truth Social post, “I am thrilled to share that Alina Habba, Esq., who has long represented me and is presently serving as Counselor to the President, will take on the role of interim U.S. Attorney for her home state of New Jersey, effective immediately!”
In the same statement, Trump also noted that John Giordano, who previously held the interim attorney position in New Jersey, will now be nominated as the new ambassador to Namibia.
Trump concluded his post with, “Congratulations to both Alina and John!”
Habba expressed her “honor” to take on the role of interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey via a post on X, stating, “I will continue to advocate for truth and justice, just as I did during my tenure as President Trump’s personal attorney. We will put an end to the weaponization of justice for good.”
A New Jersey attorney, Habba became involved with Trump in 2022, initially managing some of his civil litigation. Her prominence grew when she took the lead in Trump’s legal defense during his civil fraud trial in New York. She also represented Trump as his primary trial attorney in the second defamation case involving former columnist E. Jean Carroll, which ended with a jury awarding Carroll $83.3 million in damages. During these trials, Habba was often by Trump’s side at the defense table and had heated exchanges with the judge.
Although Habba did not represent Trump during the criminal hush money trial, she frequently appeared in the spectator section and on television defending him against this and other indictments. She was present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, which found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Chris Kise, Trump’s lawyer, stated, “Alina will be an unwavering and dedicated champion for justice in the District of New Jersey, ensuring that the focus remains on combating crime and safeguarding families, rather than the weaponized tactics of the previous administration. She has repeatedly demonstrated her capacity to tackle significant challenges and persevere under pressure.”
