President Trump on Monday said that he was appointing a spokeswoman and former personal lawyer as New Jersey’s interim U.S. attorney, continuing a pattern of placing his former legal representatives in top law enforcement positions.
The appointee, Alina Habba, defended Mr. Trump in civil trials that stemmed from lawsuits brought against him by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, and the writer E. Jean Carroll, before serving as a spokeswoman for him during the 2024 campaign. Both trials resulted in heavy financial penalties for the president, who has appealed the results.
Though Mr. Trump has named several of his other former lawyers to high-ranking positions in the Justice Department, Ms. Habba will be the first of the group to serve as an interim U.S. attorney. Her appointment is another example of Mr. Trump’s tight grip over the Justice Department in his second term.
“I am honored to serve my home state of New Jersey as interim U.S. attorney, and I am grateful to President Trump for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility,” Ms. Habba, who is currently a counselor to the president, said in a statement. “Just like I did during my time as President Trump’s personal attorney, I will continue to fight for truth and justice.”
Ms. Habba, who has no prosecutorial experience and previously ran a small firm specializing in civil litigation, will oversee the work of about 150 federal prosecutors in New Jersey. The position, a political and legal launchpad, has previously been held by prominent conservatives including Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
It is unclear whether Mr. Trump will move to install Ms. Habba to permanently run the office as he has with other interim prosecutors. Speaking outside the White House on Monday, Ms. Habba did not answer questions about how long her interim appointment was expected to last. She did not respond to a question about whether she would seek the position permanently.
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