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Maddow Blog-Alina Habba's troubled tenure as a federal prosecutor ends with a whimper
As Trump's former defense attorney gives up her U.S. attorney post, it's worth remembering that she never should've been appointed in the first place.
As Alina Habba walks away from her U.S. attorney post, it's worth remembering a key detail:
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-07-22T18:34:05.449Z
Trump never should've appointed his unqualified former defense attorney to serve as a federal prosecutor in the first place. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/alina-habbas-troubled-tenure-federal-prosecutor-ends-whimper-rcna220301
With this in mind, as Habba's appointment neared its end, there was still a chance that federal judges in New Jersey would allow her to hang on to her job. As NBC News reported, that didn’t happen:
As Habba weighs her career options and her unfortunate tenure wraps up, there are a handful of angles to this story that are worth keeping in mind.
Habba never should’ve been appointed in the first place: I realize that the incumbent president tends to reward his former lawyers with powerful legal positions in his administration, but Habba was spectacularly unqualified for this position. Not only did she have no experience as a prosecutor, but Habba is perhaps best known for helping file a bizarre lawsuit targeting Hillary Clinton and several other Democrats in 2022, which proved so ridiculous that a judge imposed harsh sanctions on Habba for bringing “political grievances masquerading as legal claims” to court.
Habba’s tenure was a fiasco: The New York Times reported this week that Habba, since taking office, “shattered morale inside the U.S. attorney’s office and left many prosecutors looking for a way out, according to 16 close observers.” The same report noted that Habba disbanded the office’s Civil Rights Division, killed the office’s longest-running prosecution just days before it was scheduled to go to trial, and installed three framed pictures of herself in the office’s conference room.......
Habba faces an uncertain political future: Despite (or perhaps, because of) her disastrous tenure as an interim U.S. attorney, Trump has nominated her to fill that same position on a permanent basis. That said, the Republican-led Senate has, to date, ignored her nomination, though that might yet change. Watch this space.
Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba has been replaced as interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey after serving the maximum of 120 days on the job. Trump had officially nominated her for the position, but her nomination became stalled in the Senate. Federal judges could have authorized her to remain on the job, but they instead named her top deputy, Desiree Leigh Grace, as her replacement.
As Habba weighs her career options and her unfortunate tenure wraps up, there are a handful of angles to this story that are worth keeping in mind.
Habba never should’ve been appointed in the first place: I realize that the incumbent president tends to reward his former lawyers with powerful legal positions in his administration, but Habba was spectacularly unqualified for this position. Not only did she have no experience as a prosecutor, but Habba is perhaps best known for helping file a bizarre lawsuit targeting Hillary Clinton and several other Democrats in 2022, which proved so ridiculous that a judge imposed harsh sanctions on Habba for bringing “political grievances masquerading as legal claims” to court.
Habba’s tenure was a fiasco: The New York Times reported this week that Habba, since taking office, “shattered morale inside the U.S. attorney’s office and left many prosecutors looking for a way out, according to 16 close observers.” The same report noted that Habba disbanded the office’s Civil Rights Division, killed the office’s longest-running prosecution just days before it was scheduled to go to trial, and installed three framed pictures of herself in the office’s conference room.......
Habba faces an uncertain political future: Despite (or perhaps, because of) her disastrous tenure as an interim U.S. attorney, Trump has nominated her to fill that same position on a permanent basis. That said, the Republican-led Senate has, to date, ignored her nomination, though that might yet change. Watch this space.