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WASHINGTON — President Trump’s pick for New Jersey’s US attorney has nabbed endorsements from top law enforcement leaders nationwide — but still faces roadblocks from the Garden State’s Democratic senators for final confirmation as her interim status is set to expire in less than two weeks.
Alina Habba, a New Jersey native who has been serving as its top prosecutor, has garnered the enthusiastic support of the National Troopers Coalition, National Association of Police Organizations and National Police Defense Foundation since being nominated in March.
“I can think of no one better suited than USA Habba as her passion to help people and her work ethic has rarely been seen by anyone I have encountered in the US Attorney position,” raved Special Agent Ricky Patel, the head of Homeland Security Investigations in Newark, in a June 27 endorsement letter.
The National Association of Police Organizations, which represents over 250,000 sworn law enforcement officers across the country, has also commended Habba for her “efforts to go after and prosecute gang and drug crime,” according to a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Republican and Democrat on July 14.
The president of NAPO cited “the recent takedown of twenty-four violent gang members for their roles in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine in Newark” as evidence of her effective leadership and “successful work in making New Jersey safer.”
The board of the National Troopers Coalition also threw its weight behind Habba, 41, in a July 11 open letter, applauding the attorney for her “tremendous willingness to work with the ‘boots on the ground’ law enforcement officers across the State of New Jersey” and “initiative and commitment to combating the plagues to our communities including gang violence, illegal drugs, and violent crimes.”
In a controversial move, Habba earlier this year ended up charging a Democratic lawmaker, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), for assaulting federal officers and arrested Newark’s Dem mayor Ras Baraka as the two protested the Trump admin’s immigration crackdown at a detention facility.
The former Trump lawyer, who also defended the president as part of a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, was nominated to a full, four-year term on July 1.
However, her federally mandated 120-day interim term began on March 24 and will expire July 22.
That allows little time for either the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance her confirmation and Republicans to force a full vote in the upper chamber.
New Jersey federal judges could also permanently appoint her, though Habba would likely face an uphill battle in a blue state — like John Sarcone III, whose bid to lead the upstate New York US attorney’s office was rejected by a judicial board Monday.
At the same time, Habba’s approval process could be bottlenecked by either of New Jersey’s Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both of whom have expressed dissatisfaction with Trump’s nominee.
“The people of New Jersey deserve a US Attorney that has deep experience with law enforcement, a reputation and an approach that puts partisanship to the side, and who will work to keep our communities safe and impartially pursue justice,” the two senators wrote in a joint statement released the day after Habba’s nomination.
“In her short tenure as an interim US Attorney, she has degraded the office and pursued frivolous and politically motivated prosecutions,” the pair fumed. “It’s clear that Alina Habba does not meet the standard to serve the people of New Jersey.”
Senators often meet with their home state’s US attorney nominees, particularly during the appointment process. As yet, neither New Jersey senator has met with Habba.
The so-called “blue slip” policy could also give Booker and Kim the de facto ability to block Habba’s confirmation.
Booker has already indicated he intends to withhold his blue slip to ice Habba’s confirmation, Courthouse News reported Tuesday.
This senatorial power, which is rarely invoked out of courtesy for the presidency, was recently used by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to impede Senate confirmation for Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee for Manhattan US attorney.
Clayton was later installed by Trump on an interim basis — despite Schumer’s efforts to block his approval.
Reps for Kim and Booker did not respond to requests for comment.
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