Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has appointed his firebrand lawyer, New Jersey’s Alina Habba, to serve as counselor to the president.
Habba has defended Trump against multiple lawsuits in the past two years and rallied for him on the campaign trail and on stage at the Republican National Convention. Tromp described Habba as “unwavering in her loyalty” and “unmatched in her resolve” in a statement announcing the appointment.
Habba, 40, a mother of three from Summit, has described herself as “a devout Catholic, a proud first-generation Arab American woman and a feisty Jersey girl.” A Chaldean Catholic, Habba’s family has roots in Iraq.
Lawyer Alina Habba is pictured speaking during a campaign rally for former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York on October 27, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Office of Counsel to the President is responsible for advising on legal aspects of policy questions, legislation, ethical questions, financial disclosures and conflicts of interest during employment and post employment. The office also oversees executive appointments and judicial selection, handles presidential pardons, reviews legislation and presidential statements, and handles lawsuits against the president.
From small firm to spotlight
Habba, whose law firm is based in New Jersey, joined Trump’s legal team in 2021 after meeting him at his country club in Bedminster, where she was a member. Habba Madaio & Associates LLP, a firm of three attorneys, sued his niece Mary Trump and the New York Times for damages over the publication of information about his tax returns. The case was dismissed, and Trump was ordered to pay $400,000 for their legal fees.
Habba later made a name for herself representing Trump in a defamation lawsuit from writer E. Jean Carroll, who Trump was found to have assaulted in the 1990s. In televised proceedings, she was seen sparring with the Judge Lewis Kaplan over legal procedure. The case ended in a $83 million verdict against Trump.
The Bedminster attorney also worked on Trump’s behalf when he was sued for defamation by Summer Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant who accused the former president of sexual assault. Zervos dropped the case.
Outside the courtroom, the senior advisor to Trump’s campaign has been a fierce advocate of the former president on news appearances and on campaign stops. At the RNC, she accused the left of “sham, indictments and baseless allegations” against him and declared that Trump “will build America stronger than ever.”
A graduate of the Kent Place School in Summit, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and a law degree from Widener University Commonwealth Law School. She clerked for Judge Eugene J. Codey, Jr. at the Essex County Civil Superior Court in Newark.
Chaldean heritage
While Habba has publicly identified as Arab American, some Chaldeans say they are an ethnic group separate from Arabs. Indigenous to Iraq, their first language is Aramaic, but most Chaldeans also speak Arabic. Habba said her family fled Iraq four decades ago amid religious persecution.
Habba visited Michigan’s large Chaldean community in September to rally support for Trump. Chaldeans tend to lean conservative, particularly on social and economic issues. They have also advocated for protection of Christians in Iraq, who have been targeted in sectarian violence that followed the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Some felt that Trump betrayed them when his administration deported Iraqi Christians in 2017. But this year, Trump again courted their vote. At a Michigan rally in August, Trump gave a shout out to Chaldeans and said that “we are working to help them.”
Habba is one of three Arab Americans named to Trump cabinet. He has picked Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, of Jordanian descent, to be surgeon general. He also named Massad Boulos, a businessman, native of Lebanon and father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany, to be senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs.
Habba also is not only New Jersey woman named to Trump’s cabinet.
Trump appointed Susan “Susie” Wiles, the architect behind his successful reelection campaign, as his next White House chief of staff. Wiles, who grew up in Saddle River, is the first woman to take on the role.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ’s Alina Habba named Trump’s counselor to the president
