President Donald Trump’s now-former personal attorney, Alina Habba Mildon, has been controversial since she first appeared on MAGA-world. She represented Trump in some of his legal cases during the 2024 presidential election (none of which he won).
After his election, she joined his entourage and became a close Team Trump ally. But before all of this, Habba might have gotten herself into some trouble: assisting in a settlement case involving a former employee at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.
Donald Trump Looking Stern White House Photo
Donald Trump Interview White House Photo
Alice Bianco was a former waitress at the Bedminster golf club in 2021. She claims that her supervisor sexually harassed her by forcibly kissing him and then demanding sexual favors for keeping her on as an employee.
Bianco hired an attorney to represent her after she decided to pursue legal action.
Alina Habba, a club member, befriended Bianco and joined negotiations over the complaint.
The Complaint
According to Bianco, Habba used her newfound friendship with Bianco to convince her to stop communicating with her original attorney and accept a $15,000 settlement instead.
Habba now finds herself at the epicenter of allegations that she improperly handled Bianco’s sexual harassment settlement.
It comes down to how Habba got Bianco to sign a nondisclosure provision that restricted Bianco from discussing her harassment allegations.
Per New Jersey ethics investigators, the settlement disproportionately benefited the golf club while depriving Bianco of important legal protections.
The investigation is trying to determine whether Habba failed to disclose any conflicts of interest and acted against the best interests of her client. Penalties include a formal admonition or even the loss of Habba’s license.
Things get dicey for Habba if she improperly represented conflicting interests during the settlement negotiations. Usually, a lawyer must disclose any conflicts of interest.
As a club member, she had an inherent conflict of interest.
Investigators claim that Habba’s interactions with Bianco constituted an implied attorney-client relationship, meaning that Habba had professional obligations she needed to fulfill.
Habba disputes these accusations.
New Jersey ethics authorities disagreed with Habba’s characterization, believing that her $80,000-per-year membership dues to the club created a true conflict of interest and therefore prevented her from genuinely serving as a neutral participant.
Bianco moved on, retaining another attorney, Nancy Erika Smith, who challenged the original settlement and nondisclosure agreement.
With her new legal counsel, Bianco received another $82,500 settlement from the golf club. Bianco then sued Habba separately, alleging improper conduct.
That resulted in an additional $400,000 settlement. Smith is now demanding that Habba be disbarred for what she believes is a grotesque violation of professional ethics.
A Conflict of Interest?
All these events occurred before Habba became Trump’s attorney. According to journalist Michael Wolff, Trump became aware of Habba because she was a club member.
In March 2025, Habba became interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
Her appointment was highly controversial because federal judges later determined that the administration’s arrangements to keep her in office violated federal appointment requirements.
Habba left that role in the Trump administration in December 2025.
The ethics investigation in New Jersey occurs while Habba has a lucrative business relationship with a company associated with Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini.
Habba has purportedly secured a contract worth more than $50 million over four years.
Trump pardoned Herrera in January of this year.
Habba has since denied that her employment involved obtaining the pardon or that she discussed it with administration officials.
When news broke of the deal, Trump called it “outrageous,” and reports now indicate that the company has terminated Habba’s employment after the president’s comments.
As for her problems in New Jersey, the New Jersey Supreme Court will determine Habba’s fate.
The proceedings, however, pose a serious threat to Habba’s legal career because they not only impugn her character but could also result in a severe reprimand.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is the Senior National Security Editor. He also manages The Weichert Brief on Substack. Weichert is the co-host of The Mario Nawfal Show on Twitter/X. He is the author of four bestselling national security books, most recently A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine (Encounter Books). His next book, Fortress Americas: A New Monroe Doctrine (Tucker Carlson Books), is due out December 8. Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.
