Trump ally Alina Habba replaced as interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey

WASHINGTON — Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s lawyer and spokesperson, has been replaced by a deputy after the expiration of her 120-day term, according to an order by the state’s top federal judge.

But Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X on Tuesday that Habba’s term doesn’t expire until Friday and that the “rush” to replace Habba “reveals what this was always about: a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Desiree Leigh Grace has been named U.S. attorney for New Jersey, according to an order signed by Chief Judge for the District of New Jersey Renee Marie Bumb on Tuesday. The order means that judges declined to extend Habba’s interim role, which she assumed on March 24.

Habba made numerous media appearances during her time in office and had come under scrutiny for her statements as well as her decision to charge Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., over a confrontation with law enforcement at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark in May. A federal grand jury later indicted McIver on three charges, and she pleaded not guilty.

In an X post on Monday, Blanche said that Habba “has the full confidence of DOJ leadership because she’s doing the job — aggressively, independently, and by the book” and said that “district judges should not be swayed by political noise,” urging them to “Keep her in place.”

Trump has nominated Habba to take over the position on a permanent basis, but the nomination has not yet advanced in the Senate Judiciary Committee.