Tracking scandals and controversies involving Alina Habba, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney who later served as a White House counselor and as the Trump administration’s top federal prosecutor in New Jersey. [ABC NEWS]
Habba And Trump Sanctioned Nearly $1 Million Over Hillary Clinton Lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks ordered Trump, Habba and her law firm to pay $937,989.39 after concluding that Trump’s sprawling lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and numerous other defendants was frivolous and should never have been brought. In November 2025, the 11th Circuit upheld the sanctions, ruling that Trump and his attorneys had engaged in sanctionable conduct. [CBS NEWS] [11TH CIRCUIT]
Former Employee Accused Habba Of Racist Workplace Conduct. Former legal assistant Na’Syia Drayton sued Habba and her law firm in 2022 alleging race and gender discrimination. Among the allegations, Drayton said Habba repeatedly used the N-word while singing along with rap music and referred to New York Attorney General Letitia James using a racist and sexist slur. The case was settled and dismissed with prejudice later that year, with the settlement terms undisclosed. [DAILY BEAST]
Former Trump Golf Club Worker Accused Habba Of Tricking Her Into A Hush-Money Agreement. Former Trump National Golf Club Bedminster waitress Alice Bianco alleged that Habba befriended her while Bianco was preparing a sexual-harassment case against a supervisor and then induced her to sign an NDA restricting her ability to discuss the allegations. Bianco and Habba later settled their dispute. In 2025, NOTUS reported that New Jersey’s Office of Attorney Ethics had been investigating Habba’s conduct in the matter since January 2024. Habba has said she acted ethically. [INDEPENDENT] [NOTUS]
Habba Said She Would Rather Be “Pretty” Than Smart Because She Could “Fake Being Smart.” During a January 2024 appearance on the PBD Podcast, Habba said she believed her appearance helped her get attention and, when asked whether she would rather be smart or pretty, chose pretty and said she could “fake being smart.” The remarks resurfaced while Habba was being criticized over her performance in the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial. [INDEPENDENT] [CNN]
Judge Repeatedly Rebuked Habba During E. Jean Carroll Trial. During Trump’s 2024 defamation damages trial, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan repeatedly admonished Habba over courtroom procedure, ordering her to sit down after she continued arguing a rejected request, criticizing her handling of evidence and at one point remarking “Evidence 101.” Kaplan also rejected a mistrial request from Habba that he said was not a close question. [ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Habba Raised A Judge Conflict Claim And Backed Off After A Sanctions Threat. After a jury awarded E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in her defamation case against Trump, Habba raised a potential conflict involving Judge Lewis Kaplan and Carroll attorney Roberta Kaplan because they had worked at the same large law firm decades earlier. Roberta Kaplan called the suggestion “utterly baseless” and reserved the right to seek sanctions. Habba then said she had only been asking whether the reported relationship existed and dropped the issue. [BLOOMBERG LAW]
Habba Told Andrew Tate She Was A “Big Fan” And Had His Back. In January 2025, Habba appeared with controversial influencer Andrew Tate and told him she was a “big fan,” that she sympathized with him and that she had his back in the United States. At the time Tate was facing serious criminal allegations, which he denied. Habba later called the allegations against Tate “stomach-churning” and said she did not condone the alleged conduct. [THE GUARDIAN]
Habba Said She Wanted To Help “Turn New Jersey Red” While Serving As Federal Prosecutor. Shortly after being selected as New Jersey’s interim U.S. attorney, Habba said she believed Republicans could “turn New Jersey red” and added that she hoped she could help that cause while holding the federal law-enforcement position. The comment drew criticism because U.S. attorneys traditionally operate as nonpartisan prosecutors rather than campaign officials. [WASHINGTON POST]
Habba Announced Investigations Of Democratic New Jersey Officials Over Immigration Policy. As interim U.S. attorney, Habba announced an investigation of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and state Attorney General Matthew Platkin over New Jersey policies limiting state and local participation in federal civil immigration enforcement. Habba warned officials who interfered with federal enforcement that she would “come after them hard.” Platkin responded that Habba had publicly indicated she wanted to politicize her office and said the state policy had survived court challenges. [NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS/PBS]
Habba’s Election Task Force Drew Accusations Of Politicizing Federal Law Enforcement. Habba created an “Election Integrity Task Force” in New Jersey to help enforce President Trump’s election executive order. State election officials and voting-rights advocates objected to the move, arguing that it implied widespread voter fraud without evidence and risked improperly inserting federal prosecutors into state election administration. [NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS/PBS]
Judge Rebuked Prosecutors After Charges Against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Were Dropped. Federal authorities arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside an immigration detention facility and charged him with trespassing, but Habba’s office dropped the charge days later. U.S. Magistrate Judge André Espinosa criticized the prosecution as a “worrisome misstep” and faulted the government for failing to adequately investigate before the arrest. Baraka subsequently sued Habba and a Homeland Security official, alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution and defamation. [ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Habba’s Office Charged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver After ICE Facility Confrontation. After dropping the case against Baraka, Habba announced charges against Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver stemming from the same confrontation at the immigration detention facility. McIver was later indicted on allegations that she assaulted, resisted or impeded federal officers. McIver denied wrongdoing and described the prosecution as political intimidation. [ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Federal Courts Ruled Habba Was Unlawfully Serving As New Jersey’s Top Prosecutor. A federal judge ruled in August 2025 that Habba had been exercising the duties of U.S. attorney without lawful authority after the expiration of her temporary appointment. The Third Circuit unanimously upheld her disqualification in December, rejecting the Trump administration’s attempt to keep her in the office without Senate confirmation. Habba resigned as acting U.S. attorney a week later. [ABC NEWS] [REUTERS]
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.