Trump US attorney who is prosecuting Democrats now at risk of losing her law license
Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, has been the subject of a discreet investigation by state professional regulators for over a year, NOTUS reported Thursday.
Habba, formerly President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, could have her law license jeopardized by the investigation.
According to documents reviewed by NOTUS, the inquiry, which began in January 2024, centers on events that unfolded “when a young waitress at Trump’s Bedminster golf club tried to sue over sexual harassment by her manager.”
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The New Jersey Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Ethics has been investigating claims that Habba exploited the employee — allegedly stepping in as her attorney to pressure her into accepting a low-value hush money settlement, reportedly to gain favor with Trump, per the report.
The ethics complaint closely mirrors previously filed allegations in state court.
The complaint was supported by several text messages suggesting that in the summer of 2021, Habba befriended Alice Bianco, a 21-year-old waitress who had just hired an employment attorney to pursue a sexual harassment case.
The texts indicate that Habba criticized Bianco’s original lawyer and offered to represent her instead. She ultimately drafted a nondisclosure agreement for $15,000, according to the report.
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Shortly afterward, documents reveal, Habba was officially appointed as Trump’s attorney in his defamation case. Trump had sued “Celebrity Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos.
Habba's small New Jersey-based firm replaced the nationally prominent Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP in the defamation case.
After Bianco realized she was responsible for paying taxes on the $15,000 settlement, Habba distanced herself and offered little help.
“I can’t technically give u legal advice,” Habba texted back, in a message attached to the lawsuit. “That’s the problem.”
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The disclosure of the ethics probe shows that Habba was under active investigation for potential misconduct at the time Trump named her interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey. She took on the role in March, with her temporary appointment set to expire on July 22. Habba's office is now prosecuting Rep. Lamonica McIver (D-N.J.) over a confrontation with police at an immigrant detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. She had also initially charged Newark mayor Ras Baraka (D), though her office ultimately dropped those charges.
On Tuesday, Trump formally put her forward for the permanent position. The president's move would require confirmation by the Senate.
The reason for the continued duration of the inquiry remains unknown, according to the NOTUS report.
