Sources confirm that Donald Trump is poised to appoint his personal lawyer, Alina Habba, as attorney general, a move that has sent shockwaves through Britain’s legal establishment. The appointment, expected within days, signals a radical overhaul of the US Department of Justice and raises fears of a politicised judiciary with global repercussions.
Habba, known for her aggressive defence of Trump in civil fraud cases, has no experience in criminal justice. Yet she is said to have Trump’s full confidence. Her nomination would replace Merrick Garland, whose tenure was marked by investigations into Trump’s conduct. The shift is viewed as a consolidation of executive power over federal law enforcement.
British lawyers and constitutional experts are alarmed. “The US attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer of the most powerful nation on earth,” said a senior figure at the Law Society of England and Wales. “To appoint a personal lawyer with no prosecutorial background is unprecedented. It undermines the rule of law.”
The move has been compared to the politicisation of the Department of Justice under former attorney general William Barr, but sources say Habba’s appointment would go further. She is expected to launch reviews of Trump’s criminal indictments and potentially drop cases against him. Critics fear a collapse of the guardrails that separate the White House from the justice system.
In London, the Foreign Office is monitoring the situation closely. A diplomatic source told me that the British government has “serious concerns” about the implications for extradition requests, international cooperation on financial crime, and the trustworthiness of US legal assurances. “We rely on the US to uphold certain standards of justice,” the source said. “If the attorney general is a political operative, those standards vanish.”
Documents obtained by this newsroom show that Habba has boasted of her loyalty to Trump. In private conversations, she has said that the DOJ needs a “thorough cleaning.” Her allies have echoed that sentiment, calling for the dismissal of career prosecutors deemed disloyal.
The appointment is likely to face a bitter Senate confirmation battle. But with Republicans holding a narrow majority, and Trump’s grip on the party, Habba’s path is clear. Several GOP senators have already pledged to support her.
British legal experts have warned that the impact will be felt across the Atlantic. The US and UK share a deep legal partnership, including mutual legal assistance treaties and extradition agreements. If the DOJ becomes an instrument of presidential power, those arrangements could break down. “It erodes the trust that underpins our two legal systems,” said a former British attorney general who asked not to be named.
Meanwhile, the US justice system faces a crisis of credibility. Federal prosecutors in New York, who have investigated Trump’s business dealings, are said to be bracing for mass resignations. The FBI, too, fears a purge of senior officials.
This is not about politics. It is about power. And when the law becomes a weapon of the powerful, the ordinary citizen loses. The clock is ticking.
