President-elect Donald Trump has appointed his personal attorney, Alina Habba, as counselor to the president in his upcoming administration. This appointment continues a trend of Trump rewarding his personal attorneys with government roles since his election.
Habba will take on the role of White House counselor, a position previously held by Kellyanne Conway during Trump’s first term. Habba has gained prominence as one of Trump’s personal lawyers, representing him in high-profile cases such as his second trial against writer E. Jean Carroll and the civil fraud trial involving Trump and his company. Despite her efforts, neither case was successful. Additionally, Habba has been a vocal supporter of Trump in the media and has represented him in other personal legal matters.
Before joining Trump’s legal team in 2021, Habba worked as a fashion merchandiser and was a relatively unknown lawyer representing a parking garage company, according to the Washington Post. Her work with Trump has not been without controversy. Both she and Trump were sanctioned nearly $1 million for filing a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, and she faced repeated reprimands from the judge during Carroll’s trial for procedural errors.