Trump’s gambit to keep Alina Habba in charge in New Jersey: Withdraw her nomination

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/24/trump-alina-habba-new-jersey-nomination-00476033

As part of the gambit, a Justice Department official described a process that involves President Donald Trump withdrawing Habba’s nomination to permanently take the post. Then, Attorney General Pam Bondi would appoint Habba as First Assistant U.S. Attorney — typically the second-ranking official in the office. Because the U.S. attorney’s post is vacant, Habba would automatically fill the role on a temporary basis; she can’t simultaneously be the president’s nominee and serve as acting in this way.

The multi-step maneuver came as Habba — who has been leading the New Jersey U.S. attorney’s office on an interim basis since March — was approaching a Friday deadline to depart the post. That deadline triggered a little-used provision of law allowing the federal district court judges in New Jersey to appoint a successor until Trump could get a permanent U.S. attorney confirmed by the Senate.

Habba is perhaps uniquely controversial because of her close ties to the president before taking office and her actions after — she led an aborted prosecution of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, the indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver and an investigation of Gov. Phil Murphy, all Democrats. Habba had no experience as a prosecutor until Trump installed her as the interim U.S. attorney.