By Alejandra Jaramillo and Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Monday announced the appointment of his one-time personal lawyer, Alina Habba, as interim US attorney for the district of New Jersey “effective immediately.”

Habba is currently serving as counselor to the president.

“It is with great pleasure that I am announcing Alina Habba, Esq., who is currently serving as Counselor to the President, and has represented me for a long time, will be our interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, her Home State, effective immediately!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The president continued his post by also announcing that John Giordano, who had been serving as the interim attorney in New Jersey, will now be nominated as the new ambassador to Namibia.

“Congratulations to Alina and John!” Trump concluded his post.

Habba wrote on X that she is “honored” to serve as interim US attorney for New Jersey. “Just like I did during my time as President Trump’s personal attorney, I will continue to fight for truth and justice. We will end the weaponization of justice, once and for all,” she added.

Habba, a New Jersey attorney, emerged in Trump’s orbit in 2022 when she was brought in to handle some of his civil lawsuits. But her prominence rose when she because the public face of Trump’s legal defense during his civil fraud trial in New York. Habba went on to represent Trump as his lead trial attorney during the second defamation trial involving former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, in which a jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in damages. During court appearances, Habba sat beside Trump at the defense table and often sparred with the judge.

While Habba did not represent Trump during his criminal hush money trial, she often appeared in the spectator section and on television defending Trump against that case and the other indictments he faced. Habba was inside the courtroom when the verdict was read finding Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

“Alina will be a zealous and tireless advocate for justice in the District of New Jersey and help ensure the focus is on fighting crime and protecting families instead of the weaponized practices of the prior Administration,” Trump lawyer Chris Kise said. “She has time and again proven her ability to take on major issues and to persevere under intense and challenging circumstances.”

The-CNN-Wire
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