Alina Habba, once a prominent defense attorney for former President Donald Trump and now serving as his top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, is under a formal ethics investigation that could jeopardize her law license, according to a Thursday report by NOTUS.
The inquiry by the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Ethics centers on a 2021 sexual harassment incident involving a waitress at Trump’s Bedminster golf club. The employee, Alice Bianco, claimed she was harassed by a fellow staffer — and that Habba posed as an independent legal advisor only to steer her into a hush money settlement.
“The New Jersey Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Ethics has been looking into allegations that Habba mistreated the employee, becoming her lawyer only to convince her to accept a hush money deal for a paltry sum, all to ingratiate herself with Trump,” NOTUS reported.
Bianco had already begun consulting a labor attorney to prepare a lawsuit when she met Habba. According to a complaint backed by dozens of text messages, Habba discredited Bianco’s existing legal representation and offered her own services instead. She allegedly encouraged Bianco to accept a $15,000 nondisclosure agreement (NDA), which was ultimately signed.
Though a financial settlement was reached, the episode has sparked an ongoing legal and ethical review. The controversy surrounding Habba has continued since her appointment as a federal prosecutor. She has faced significant criticism for pursuing criminal charges that critics say appear politically motivated.
Her most controversial case to date involves Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey. Habba filed charges against McIver, accusing her of interfering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a protest outside a private immigrant detention facility in Newark. That move drew backlash from civil rights advocates and legal watchdogs.
The Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit ethics organization, has filed a formal complaint against Habba over the McIver prosecution. They argue the case reflects a troubling pattern of partisanship and abuse of prosecutorial power.
Despite the backlash and the ethics investigation, Habba has remained in her role and has not commented publicly on the allegations. The outcome of the disciplinary inquiry could have far-reaching implications not only for her legal career but also for Trump’s broader legal strategy, as she remains a close legal ally to the former president.