Law enforcement is searching for a man who vandalized the office of one of Donald Trump’s loyal attorneys, Alina Habba, after previously attempting to enter the building with a baseball bat.
The suspect first tried to enter the building in Newark, where the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey’s office is located, but was turned away by security because he was carrying a bat. He later returned without it and was allowed in.
Once inside, he went to Habba’s waiting room and requested a meeting with her, sources told CBS News. He then began yelling and destroying property in the room before fleeing. It remains unclear whether he made specific threats toward Habba, The New York Times reported.
He was not allowed to meet with Habba, and it was unclear if she was in the building at the time of Wednesday’s incident.
In a post on X, she said she “will not be intimidated by radical lunatics for doing my job.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to catch the perpetrator, claiming threats against law enforcement officers are part of a rising trend fueled by “radicals.”
“Last night, an individual attempted to confront one of our U.S. Attorneys — my dear friend Alina Habba — destroyed property in her office, and then fled the scene. Thankfully, Alina is ok,” Bondi wrote. “Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country.”
She added, “We will find this person, and the individual will be brought to justice. Our federal prosecutors, agents, and law-enforcement partners put their lives on the line every day to protect the American people, and this Department will use every legal tool available to ensure their safety and hold violent offenders fully accountable.”
Officials have not released a description of the suspect.
Habba’s office is in a federal building that also houses a federal immigration court, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, and a Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
Habba, Trump’s former personal attorney who represented him in the sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, has served as the acting top federal prosecutor in New Jersey since March.
Trump withdrew her nomination as part of a convoluted effort to keep her in the role.
A judge ruled in August that she was serving unlawfully as New Jersey’s acting U.S. attorney, but she remains in the job while she appeals the decision.
