July 28, 2025 • 6 mins
Mike checks in with Mendte In The Morning to talk about how Alina Habba may be having trouble in her position, because of her past work experience.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get to Mike Kelly, who was an award winning
columnist for North Jersey dot Com and The Record. He's
with us every Monday at seven oh five. Mike, I
guess my first question is, why do you hate Alena Haba.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I don't. Good morning, Larry, how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I'm good.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I don't hate Alina. Sure, I just think she's completely
unqualified for the job.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
But she's in the job now. I mean, you're talking
about that's an argument to make before she got put
in there. Right now, let's see how she does. I
think so far she's she hasn't been bad, and so
far she's been pretty good. I think I've seen her
out on the street with ice officers. I've seen her
out on the street with with law enforcement all the time.
(00:49):
You haven't appreciated that.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
No, quite, Frankly, I think she was. She was. She
was upbraided by the judge in her handling of the
arrest Mayor ros Baraka. I mean, it's rare that a
federal judge, in this case, a magistrate judge, would would
criticize a prosecutor for arresting someone. And because that's pretty
(01:16):
that's just the beginning of the process. Sometimes they criticize
them for the way they conduct themselves in court, as
another federal judge criticized Haba in a New York case
involving Donald Trump. But I just don't think she's experienced enough, Larry,
And here's who should be angry.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Can I ask you about the judge real quick, just
real quick? Was there a democratic judge in Newark?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
It was a magistrate judge, whether it was appointed by
a Democrat or Republican.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Well, New Jersey, I would think so. But it was Newark, right,
and that's where he's married.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Okay, it was a Newerk. Yeah, And I'm not sure
we can we can use those kinds of designations to
you know, sort of undermine a judge's decision, because what
I think, if you read his decision as I did,
he was clearly citing basic courtroom procedure that Habba seemed
(02:08):
to be unaware of. And that was her problem when
she was representing Donald Trump in the case against Egene Carroll.
But let me get back to something I think has
even more basic. Democrats might be outraged about this, and
they are, okay, and it's it's again, you know, more
of the criticism that they're trying to find their way around.
(02:28):
But I think Republicans ought to be outraged this. New
Jersey is the fifth largest US Attorney's office in the country.
We handle organized crime, we handled terrorism here. In fact,
New Jersey led the way in the investigation of one
of the hijacked airplanes in nine to eleven. We have
(02:50):
one of the largest FBI offices in Newark, and a
very large joint terrorism task Force, all of which come
under the umbrella of the US Attorney, the top federal prosecutor.
I just don't think that Alena Habba is experienced enough,
and there are plenty of other Republican former prosecutors and
(03:11):
experienced attorneys who could have been tapped for this.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Did you write this a similar column when she was
put into the position, I.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Mean initially when she put in no, because I thought, I,
you know, you know, Larry, it's funny. I thought she
would probably just be a you know, a temporary hold here.
And I think when there was this reversal and then
the sudden shuffling of bureaucratic shuffle that allowed her to
stay in, I thought, Wow, this is a lot. She's
(03:43):
not just a temporary hold on this position. Frankly, I
couldn't believe that Donald Trump picked her to be the
US attorney here in Newark, in part because if you
just look at her resume, she was running a four
person law firm, you know, in in suburban Bernardsville, got
(04:04):
to know O'donald Trump by joining his golf club, and
then kind of messed up in some of the trials
she was involved with with him. And yet I guess
he's a forgiving man.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I'll tell you who. I'll tell you who agreed with you.
And said this when she was nominated the first time.
As Jeffrey Lickman, the high profile defense attorney who you know,
defended Gotti and l Choppo, he said that he was
vociferous as a matter of fact in saying that she's
completely unqualified for the job. But I just feel like
now and and and that was legitimate then, but I
(04:35):
feel like now, so much of it's become political. And
I believe that Booker and Kim are involved in this, uh,
because because he went after Lamonica mcguiver, and so it's
hard to separate the politics from what's going on right now.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, well, listen, I will say, Lamonica mcgiver is is
a whole other case from ros from the mayor of Newark.
I thought what she did, if she did what she did,
and the video seems to indicate that's she's certainly possibly
guilty here, that she was pushing around federal agents and
(05:09):
I can tell you from personal experience, you don't do that.
And I think she's in trouble as a result. But
what I'm what I'm talking about here, when we talk
with the top federal prosecutor in a district like New Jersey,
we're talking about somebody who really sets the policy and
the agenda for how the FBI and her staff of
(05:30):
federal prosecutors is going to go after people, whether it's
organized crime or terrorism or gangs, and all of which
are huge problems in New Jersey. And I really wish
Trump had picked somebody with a lot more experience to
handle that because I think some of the problems here
are very very serious.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, it'll be This fight isn't over just yet. There
are other things that can happen, and the judges will
have their say, so we'll play it out. We'd love
to talk to you again soon. Mike Kelly is an
award winning columnist for North Jersey dot Com and the Record.
He's with us every Monday, so we'll talk to you
next Monday at seven o five.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Thanks Larry, take care sure, Mike, thank you again. Full
of superstar performances, listens to
Let's get to Mike Kelly, who was an award winning
columnist for North Jersey dot Com and The Record. He's
with us every Monday at seven oh five. Mike, I
guess my first question is, why do you hate Alena Haba.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
I don't. Good morning, Larry, how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
I'm good.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I don't hate Alina. Sure, I just think she's completely
unqualified for the job.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
But she's in the job now. I mean, you're talking
about that's an argument to make before she got put
in there. Right now, let's see how she does. I
think so far she's she hasn't been bad, and so
far she's been pretty good. I think I've seen her
out on the street with ice officers. I've seen her
out on the street with with law enforcement all the time.
(00:49):
You haven't appreciated that.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
No, quite, Frankly, I think she was. She was. She
was upbraided by the judge in her handling of the
arrest Mayor ros Baraka. I mean, it's rare that a
federal judge, in this case, a magistrate judge, would would
criticize a prosecutor for arresting someone. And because that's pretty
(01:16):
that's just the beginning of the process. Sometimes they criticize
them for the way they conduct themselves in court, as
another federal judge criticized Haba in a New York case
involving Donald Trump. But I just don't think she's experienced enough, Larry,
And here's who should be angry.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Can I ask you about the judge real quick, just
real quick? Was there a democratic judge in Newark?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
It was a magistrate judge, whether it was appointed by
a Democrat or Republican.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Well, New Jersey, I would think so. But it was Newark, right,
and that's where he's married.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Okay, it was a Newerk. Yeah, And I'm not sure
we can we can use those kinds of designations to
you know, sort of undermine a judge's decision, because what
I think, if you read his decision as I did,
he was clearly citing basic courtroom procedure that Habba seemed
(02:08):
to be unaware of. And that was her problem when
she was representing Donald Trump in the case against Egene Carroll.
But let me get back to something I think has
even more basic. Democrats might be outraged about this, and
they are, okay, and it's it's again, you know, more
of the criticism that they're trying to find their way around.
(02:28):
But I think Republicans ought to be outraged this. New
Jersey is the fifth largest US Attorney's office in the country.
We handle organized crime, we handled terrorism here. In fact,
New Jersey led the way in the investigation of one
of the hijacked airplanes in nine to eleven. We have
(02:50):
one of the largest FBI offices in Newark, and a
very large joint terrorism task Force, all of which come
under the umbrella of the US Attorney, the top federal prosecutor.
I just don't think that Alena Habba is experienced enough,
and there are plenty of other Republican former prosecutors and
(03:11):
experienced attorneys who could have been tapped for this.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Did you write this a similar column when she was
put into the position, I.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Mean initially when she put in no, because I thought, I,
you know, you know, Larry, it's funny. I thought she
would probably just be a you know, a temporary hold here.
And I think when there was this reversal and then
the sudden shuffling of bureaucratic shuffle that allowed her to
stay in, I thought, Wow, this is a lot. She's
(03:43):
not just a temporary hold on this position. Frankly, I
couldn't believe that Donald Trump picked her to be the
US attorney here in Newark, in part because if you
just look at her resume, she was running a four
person law firm, you know, in in suburban Bernardsville, got
(04:04):
to know O'donald Trump by joining his golf club, and
then kind of messed up in some of the trials
she was involved with with him. And yet I guess
he's a forgiving man.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I'll tell you who. I'll tell you who agreed with you.
And said this when she was nominated the first time.
As Jeffrey Lickman, the high profile defense attorney who you know,
defended Gotti and l Choppo, he said that he was
vociferous as a matter of fact in saying that she's
completely unqualified for the job. But I just feel like
now and and and that was legitimate then, but I
(04:35):
feel like now, so much of it's become political. And
I believe that Booker and Kim are involved in this, uh,
because because he went after Lamonica mcguiver, and so it's
hard to separate the politics from what's going on right now.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, well, listen, I will say, Lamonica mcgiver is is
a whole other case from ros from the mayor of Newark.
I thought what she did, if she did what she did,
and the video seems to indicate that's she's certainly possibly
guilty here, that she was pushing around federal agents and
(05:09):
I can tell you from personal experience, you don't do that.
And I think she's in trouble as a result. But
what I'm what I'm talking about here, when we talk
with the top federal prosecutor in a district like New Jersey,
we're talking about somebody who really sets the policy and
the agenda for how the FBI and her staff of
(05:30):
federal prosecutors is going to go after people, whether it's
organized crime or terrorism or gangs, and all of which
are huge problems in New Jersey. And I really wish
Trump had picked somebody with a lot more experience to
handle that because I think some of the problems here
are very very serious.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, it'll be This fight isn't over just yet. There
are other things that can happen, and the judges will
have their say, so we'll play it out. We'd love
to talk to you again soon. Mike Kelly is an
award winning columnist for North Jersey dot Com and the Record.
He's with us every Monday, so we'll talk to you
next Monday at seven o five.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Thanks Larry, take care sure, Mike, thank you again. Full
of superstar performances, listens to
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