WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday fired a federal prosecutor whom New Jersey’s federal judges had named to replace the state’s interim U.S. attorney, Alina Habba, a close ally of President Donald Trump.
Bondi said on X that Habba — previously Trump’s personal lawyer — had been “doing a great job making NJ safe again” but that “politically minded judges refused to allow her to continue in her position.”
Desiree Leigh Grace was named U.S. attorney for New Jersey, according to an order the chief judge for the District of New Jersey, Renee Marie Bumb, signed Tuesday. The order means judges declined to extend Habba’s interim role, which expires after 120 days. Trump appointed Habba on March 24, and she was sworn in on March 28.
But Bondi said that Grace “has just been removed” and that the “Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers.”
Grace was fired by the Justice Department, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News
The plan is to reinstall Habba in the position in some capacity, as the administration did with the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, but no specific method has been established yet, the person said.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on X earlier Tuesday that Habba’s term does not expire until Friday and that the “rush” to replace her “reveals what this was always about: a left-wing agenda, not the rule of law.”
The U.S. attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both Democrats, blasted the DOJ’s move in a statement later Tuesday.
“Trump’s Department of Justice is once again criticizing a court that acted within its authority, continuing a pattern of publicly undermining judicial decisions and showing disregard for the rule of law and the separation of powers,” they wrote. “The firing of a career public servant, lawfully appointed by the court, is another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn’t agree with them and undermine judicial independence.”
They added, “The people of New Jersey deserve a U.S. Attorney who will enforce the law and pursue justice for the people of our state without partisanship or politics.”
Habba made numerous media appearances during her time in office and had come under scrutiny for her statements, as well as for her decision to charge Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., over a confrontation with law enforcement at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark in May. A federal grand jury later indicted McIver on three charges, and she pleaded not guilty.
Blanche said Monday on X that Habba “has the full confidence of DOJ leadership because she’s doing the job — aggressively, independently, and by the book” — and he said that “district judges should not be swayed by political noise,” urging them, “Keep her in place.”
Trump has nominated Habba to take over the position on a permanent basis, but the nomination has not yet advanced in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
