President Trump appointed Alina Habba, his former defense attorney and current White House counselor, to serve as interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

“It is with great pleasure that I am announcing Alina Habba, Esq., who is currently serving as Counselor to the President, and has represented me for a long time, will be our interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, her Home State, effective immediately!” Trump said.

“Alina will lead with the same diligence and conviction that has defined her career, and she will fight tirelessly to secure a Legal System that is both ‘Fair and Just’ for the wonderful people of New Jersey,” he added.

From the New York Post:

Habba, 40, became a public figure while repping Trump in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll between the president’s terms of office, and has held the senior role as presidential counselor since January.

“There is corruption, there is injustice, and there is a heavy amount of crime right in [Senator] Cory Booker’s backyard and right under Governor [Phil] Murphy. And that will stop,” Habba told reporters on the White House driveway.

“I look forward to working with [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and with the Department of Justice and making sure that we further the president’s agenda of putting America first, cleaning up the mess and going after the people that we should be going after, not the people that are falsely accused.”

Habba declined to say if she viewed the appointment as a stepping stone toward elected office in the Garden State — despite aiming her initial remarks directly at the Garden State’s two most prominent Democrats.

“I think Cory Booker and Governor Murphy have failed the state of New Jersey,” Habba said.

“If you look at what happened in crime, what’s going on in Newark, what’s going on in Camden, this has been a neglected state. It is one of the most populated states for its size, and it needs to stop. We’re going to do a bang-up job. I cannot wait. It’s a great honor.”

WATCH:

Alina Habba: "President Trump has just put out a statement that he has appointed me as the interim U.S. attorney for the state of New Jersey, my home state…There is corruption, there is injustice, and there is a heavy amount of crime right in Cory Booker's backyard." pic.twitter.com/2HXRrycr6V

— CSPAN (@cspan) March 24, 2025

“Time to make New Jersey great again! LET’S ROLL,” Habba said.

Time to make New Jersey great again! LET’S ROLL 🇺🇸 https://t.co/HsXXnOuiRn

— Alina Habba (@AlinaHabba) March 24, 2025

Per ABC News:

Habba rose to fame as a member of Trump’s circle after several years in private practice in New Jersey.

After working as a merchandiser at fashion company Marc Jacobs for two years, Habba attended Widener University Commonwealth Law School in Pennsylvania, graduating in 2011. She served a yearlong clerkship with then-New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Codey Jr. then worked in private practice for eight years at two separate firms before starting her own practice in 2020, focusing on civil and commercial litigation.

After reportedly becoming acquainted with Trump through membership in his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, Habba’s big break with the former president came when she represented him in a $100 million lawsuit against the New York Times and his estranged niece, Mary L. Trump.

The New York Times lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, and Habba’s other cases for Trump have resulted in a mixed record. She received praise from Trump after Summer Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant who accused the former president of sexual assault, dropped her defamation case against Trump.