Trump wants Alina Habba to stay as US attorney in NJ. Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker say absolutely not

Aliya Schneider, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jul 2, 2025

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President Donald Trump nominated Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, to remain in the post. Democrats aren’t having it.

Trump nominated Habba to the interim role in March and this week sent her name to the U.S. Senate for confirmation for the full four-year term. Habba, 41, previously represented Trump in personal cases and worked as a campaign spokesperson for him. She had no prosecutorial experience until Trump nominated her earlier this year, which is uncommon for someone in the role.

In a joint statement, Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, Democrats who represent New Jersey, said Habba has “degraded the office and pursued frivolous and politically motivated prosecutions.”

Habba’s interim appointment expires in a few weeks and she would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to stay on, or federal district court judges in the state could vote to keep her in the role until a nomination is confirmed.

The U.S. Senate traditionally defers to the home senators for these nominations, so Kim and Booker’s remarks hold significant weight. Habba’s long-term fate in the role could depend on Kim and Booker changing their minds, which is unlikely, or Senate Republicans breaking longtime custom.

“The people of New Jersey deserve a U.S. attorney that has deep experience with law enforcement, a reputation and an approach that puts partisanship to the side, and who will work to keep our communities safe and impartially pursue justice,” the Democratic senators said.

“It’s clear that Alina Habba does not meet the standard to serve the people of New Jersey,” they added.

Habba worked as a partner in a small law firm near Trump’s Bedminster golf course and was a senior adviser for Trump’s political action committee, and most of her experience is in state courts, not federal. She has unabashedly politicized the office and said she wants to help the “cause” of flipping New Jersey red in the top prosecutor position, which has served as a springboard for public officials.

In April, Habba ordered an investigation of Gov. Phil Murphy and state Attorney General Matthew Platkin, both Democrats, for allegedly refusing to cooperate with Trump’s immigration crackdown.

She prosecuted two New Jersey Democratic elected officials in their district after a tussle with ICE outside Delaney Hall, a new federal immigration detention center in Newark in May.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outside the facility and she charged him for criminal trespassing during his gubernatorial campaign before quickly dropping the case less than two weeks later. She then charged U.S. Rep. Monica McIver for assault, also pointing to the scuffle with ICE. McIver called the charges “purely political” and said they “mischaracterize and distort” her actions and “are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight.”

U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa scolded Habba’s case against Baraka, and Baraka sued Habba in June, accusing her of defamation and “false arrest and malicious prosecution.”

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