President Donald Trump’s nominee as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, his former personal attorney Alina Habba, “does not meet the standard to serve,” the state’s two Democratic senators said in a statement.
Habba, who previously defended Trump in his personal capacity against New York state fraud charges and against defamation claims brought by author E. Jean Carroll, has served as interim US attorney in New Jersey since March. Her term as interim leader is set to expire later this month and Trump announced plans to nominate her to serve full-time Tuesday.
While Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim didn’t explicitly say they intend to block the nomination, homestate senators’ approval is needed for US attorney nominees to move forward under Senate custom.
“In her short tenure as an interim US Attorney, she has degraded the office and pursued frivolous and politically motivated prosecutions,” Booker and Kim said in a statement Wednesday.
During her tenure as interim leader at the US attorney’s office for the District of New Jersey, her office notably brought criminal charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) over her conduct at a protest outside of an immigration detention facility. Her office also charged Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for trespassing at that protest, but those charges were later dropped.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Habba in a social media post Wednesday, saying she’s “delivered results that speak louder than political attacks.”
“Alina Habba has proven herself as a fearless, fair, and effective public servant,” Blanche said.
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