★ Private Action
Trump PACs paid Habba's firm $8.9M before Habba joined White House
DOJ Political InterferenceDonor Influence and Access
Filed January 2025$8,916,686
★ The Brief
What happened
From April 2022 to the eve of Trump's second inauguration, two of his political committees paid Alina Habba's firm $8,916,686 for representing him in personal litigation, including the E. Jean Carroll civil cases she led.
Who enabled it
Who benefits
Deal or steal?
The Carroll cases were Trump's personal litigation, not campaign matters, so donor money routed through his PACs covered his private legal bills; Habba was then named Counselor to the President.
Between April 26, 2022 and the day before Trump's second inauguration, two Trump-affiliated committees disbursed a combined $8,916,686 to Alina Habba's New Jersey firm Habba Madaio & Associates, per Federal Election Commission Schedule B records: $8,539,111 across 47 payments from Save America PAC (Trump's leadership PAC), plus $377,575 across 21 payments from Make America Great Again PAC (the 2020-era candidate committee). Habba served as Trump's lead defense attorney in the E. Jean Carroll civil cases and as a spokesperson during his criminal trials. At the start of the second Trump administration she was named Counselor to the President. Save America has continued to pay her former firm into 2026 -- approximately $1M after Habba's appointment -- but those post-inauguration payments are not included in this total, which is intended to capture only fees paid while Habba was still practicing at the firm.
Actors
Who pushed it · 2Who initiated, paid, or pushed the action.
Make America Great Again PACTrump's 2020-era candidate committee made 21 disbursements totaling $377,575 to Habba Madaio & Associates between February 2022 and March 2024 -- the smaller of the two Trump-committee revenue streams to Habba's firm.
Save America PACMade 47 disbursements totaling $8,539,111 to Habba Madaio & Associates between April 2022 and January 2025 -- the larger of two Trump-affiliated committee revenue streams to Habba's firm. Payments continued into 2026 after Habba's appointment as Counselor to the President.
Beneficiaries
Who gained · 3Who stood to gain.
Alina HabbaManaging partner of Habba Madaio & Associates and Trump's lead attorney in the E. Jean Carroll civil cases. Named Counselor to the President at the start of the second Trump administration.
Donald TrumpPersonal beneficiary of Habba Madaio's representation in the E. Jean Carroll civil cases and other personal litigation. The fees were paid by his own political committees, with donor money flowing through the PACs to his personal legal defense.
- Habba Madaio & Associates
Recipient of $8,916,686 in legal fees from Save America PAC and MAGA PAC combined between February 2022 and January 2025. The firm represented Trump in the E. Jean Carroll civil cases and other personal litigation; founding partner Alina Habba was named Counselor to the President at the start of the second administration.
Further reading
- ★ Private ActionJanuary 2025Trump committees paid Dhillon Law $13.9M before founders joined admin
- ★ Private ActionJanuary 2025Trump PAC paid Blanche Law $9.3M before Blanche became Deputy AG
- ★ Private ActionJanuary 2025Trump PAC paid Otis Law $2M before Sauer became Solicitor General
- ★ Government ActionMay 2026DOJ settles Trump IRS suit with $1.8B anti-weaponization fund
- ★ Government ActionDecember 2025Trump pardons Tina Peters, Colorado clerk in stop-the-steal case
- ★ Government ActionMay 2025Trump commutes donor Imaad Zuberi's foreign-lobbying sentence