Halligan Lindsey E S Q

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MERRI OK

PENSION POST TRUMP? WOMEN GOT TOSSED? BONDI, NOEM

BORIS EP?

MAR A LAGO

beauty queen insurance laWYER TO trump defense

// alina habba

GOT PULLED OFF MUSEUM CENSORSHIP TO PERSECUTE EMENIES TUSH AND COMEY {BLINDSIDED BLONDI?]

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MADDOW UBC 3 26 FLA BAR GOING AFTER HER LICENSE?

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HUH? AN 9 26

Appeals judges appeared leery of allowing President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice to revive its dead prosecution of Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday. James’ prosecution was dismissed under the argument that the top prosecutor pressing the case did not have a right to be leading the indictment.

But DOJ attorneys say Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie "administered […] strong medicine" as a consequence of Lindsey Halligan's "unlawful" appointment, insisting a mere "error in the title" should not have led to dismissal of Letitia James' and James Comey's indictments in Virginia, reports Law and Crime.

Rather, Attorney General Henry Whitaker argued before the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the three-judge panel should "respect" grand juries' decisions and revive fraud and false statement indictments against Trump's perceived enemies New York's attorney general James and the former FBI director Comey. Whitaker claimed Currie erroneously concluded in November that ex-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi "unlawfully appointed" Trump's former personal attorney Halligan as interim U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.

“But attorneys for Comey and James countered that Halligan was little more than a private citizen when she was the only prosecutor to sign the indictments and present to the grand jury. Notably, that is how U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon described ex-special counsel Jack Smith when she dismissed his Mar-a-Lago case against Trump on Appointments Clause grounds,” reported Law and Crime.

"Mr. Smith is a private citizen exercising the full power of a United States Attorney, and with very little oversight or supervision," Cannon said, tossing out the president's willful retention of classified documents and conspiracy case as a remedy.

Judges were quick to use that argument in the dismissal of James’ indictment.

"How would you then distinguish United States v. Trump when Judge Cannon found that Mr. Smith, whatever his name was, wasn't lawfully appointed? What happens in this case? How would you distinguish it if Ms. Halligan's not lawfully appointed?" asked Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Henry F. Floyd, a Barack Obama appointee. “… The point is that she says it wasn't a lawful appointment.”

Whitaker found himself flailing as he tried to discern between the two identical dismissals.

“She did, Your Honor, but Judge Cannon there was faced with the appointment of a special counsel to which different appointment authorities apply. For example, in this case, we could have appointed Ms. Halligan to conduct these prosecutions under 28 U.S.C. 542 and 543, which were appointment authorities that the United States did not invoke in defending the Jack Smith appointment," Whitaker said.

"To put it bluntly, would have, could have, should have. That didn't happen," Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Albert Diaz, also an Obama appointee, said, jumping in.

Politico

Trump admin argues Lindsey Halligan should return to US attorney post

1 day ago

The Daily Beast

Goon Grilled by Judges Over Trump's Beauty Queen Prosecutor

13 hours ago

Courthouse News

Trump tries to revive indictments against political foes at Fourth Circuit

1 day ago

Reuters

Judges question DOJ bid to revive cases against Trump foes Comey, James

1 day ago

Baltimore Sun

DOJ asks appeals court to reinstate indictments against Comey and James

8 hours ago

DK 9 26

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AN 9 26

The Justice Department is taking another crack at indicting former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

According to Bloomberg Law, the move will be an appeal of a prior decision that District Attorney Lindsey Halligan was not lawfully appointed to serve as DA because she wasn't confirmed by Congress. The Justice Department is seeking to restore the criminal cases against James and Comey.

According to the DOJ, even if Halligan’s appointment wasn't legal, it shouldn't erase the indictments. However, Comey and James argue that the cases were invalid from the start because an unlawfully appointed prosecutor brought them before grand juries.

On Tuesday, a three-judge panel at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments on the matter again and decide whether a remedy is needed and what it would look like.

A panel of judges in the Eastern District unanimously approved her predecessor, Erik Siebert, to take over the office in the interim. He'd initially resigned ahead of Halligan indicring Comey and James.

"Lawyers arguing on behalf of the Justice Department, Comey, and James won’t know who they’re appearing before until the morning of argument," the report said. "The Fourth Circuit is one of the only federal appellate courts that doesn’t announce the three-judge panel in advance."

It explained it's a "crapshoot" as to who they could appear before. While it was once a conservative court, eight of the past 15 new judges were appointed by Democrats.

Lawyers should prepare for “questions about the plain language, the origins of the statute, the problem the statute was trying to solve, and the ramifications of ruling one way or another,” explained former Virginia Solicitor General Michelle Kallen.

“If I were prepping for oral argument, I’d be prepared to answer more questions about the exact circumstances that led Congress to give a role to the courts in connection with the appointment of US attorneys,” Kallen said.

Last November, the Eastern District of Virginia was in complete disarray after Halligan was told her appointment to the post was not lawful.

After the ruling in the Comey and James cases last year, two magistrate judges and a district court judge in Alexandria, Virginia, went so far as to rebuke prosecutors in open court about Halligan’s name on all recent criminal cases, explaining that it should not be there. The documents included a new criminal case filing, guilty plea papers and several indictments.

Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick told prosecutors it was “not acceptable” for charging papers to be filed under Halligan’s name, and both he and Judge Michael Nachmanoff said that, after the ruling, Halligan’s name should not appear on any cases.

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AN 1 26

A new court filing by disqualified former interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan is now accusing a judge appointed by President Donald Trump of committing a "gross abuse of power."

On Tuesday, All Rise News editor-in-chief Adam Klasfeld tweeted that Halligan — backed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General BLANCHE? Pam Bondi — attacked U.S. District Judge David J. Novak (who Trump appointed to the Eastern District of Virginia in 2019) as "flat wrong" for suggesting that Halligan should no longer call herself a U.S. attorney due to her prior disqualification. Klasfeld called the filing an "extraordinary, pugilistic brief."

The DOJ's briefing submitted Tuesday is Halligan's official response to an order Novak handed down last week giving the disqualified prosecutor seven days to explain why she continues to wrongly use the title of U.S. attorney given that senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie (an appointee of former President Bill Clinton) in November disqualified her in a binding ruling.

In the 11-page filing, Halligan, Bondi and Blanche used former DOJ special counsel Jack Smith as an example of why Judge Currie's order was not binding. They noted that when Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed Smith's 37-count felony indictment of the then-former president, she also deemed him to be improperly appointed under the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution as he was never confirmed by the U.S. Senate, yet Smith continued to use his special counsel title in subsequent briefings. This is despite multiple DOJ special counsels appointed under both Democratic and Republican presidents never having been confirmed by the full Senate and still having their findings respected and found credible.

Klasfeld observed that Halligan and DOJ leadership accused Novak of making a "rudimentary error," and of using his powers as a judge as a "cudgel" against the executive branch. They also referred to his order demanding Halligan explain her continued use of the U.S. attorney title as an "inquisition."

"To put it mildly, this isn't the type of language one typically sees by a party addressing a judge," Klasfeld tweeted. "Halligan, Blanche and Bondi downplay the ruling disqualifying Halligan as a 'disagreement' with the government, which they say isn't binding on any other case."

Trump initially named Halligan as acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia after former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert was forced to resign after declining to bring charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who are two of Trump's most high-profile political opponents. Halligan indicted both Comey and James shortly after replacing Siebert, though both indictments were dismissed after Judge Currie disqualified her.

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AN 1 26

Trump DOJ fires attorney who refused to prosecute James Comey - Alternet.org

The Trump Department of Justice has terminated a 64-year old attorney, the number-two official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, after he refused to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey in a highly-controversial case.

MS NOW on Monday reported that Robert McBride, a senior DOJ prosecutor and former Navy lawyer, “was brought into the prominent satellite office of the Justice Department to serve as first assistant to U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan and took a more prominent role as her status was in question and after a judge ruled in late November that she was not legally appointed to run the office.”

McBride reportedly had held private meetings with judges, MS NOW reported, calling it a move that was “viewed as undermining the Administration.”

He had declined to prosecute Comey, sources said, reportedly telling top Justice Department officials that it would be difficult to do that and also run the office.

MS NOW’s Carol Leonnig added that McBride was also suspected of “gunning for” the top job.

The New York Times reported that there was a “disagreement about whether he would take charge of the Trump administration’s effort to re-indict James B. Comey,” and called McBride’s firing “the latest development in the fallout in the Justice Department over President Trump’s effort to punish Mr. Comey, the former F.B.I. director and his longtime nemesis, whom the president blames for past investigations of his conduct.”

The Times added that meeting with judges is considered “commonplace.”

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AN 11 25

In the service of President Donald Trump, Lindsay Halligan, Trump’s second interim appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, may lose her license to practice law.

Who is Halligan?

Competence is a key requirement for obtaining and retaining a law license. But nothing in Halligan’s education, experience, or training qualified her to prosecute federal crimes, much less lead a US Attorney’s office of more than 300 attorneys and staff in four divisions in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News. For starters, she has never tried a criminal case. But Trump always prefers loyalty over competence.

Halligan attended a private Catholic high school and a Jesuit university where she studied politics and broadcast journalism. She competed in the Miss Colorado USA pageant in 2009 and 2010 and received her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. Upon graduation, she went to work in a Miami law firm, representing insurance companies against homeowners and businesses.

Even if Halligan manages to keep her law license, she will never recover her professional reputation. It’s the Trump effect.

Halligan met Trump in November 2021 at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. In early 2022, he made her part of his legal team on the Mar-a-Lago documents case.

After the election, she worked on Trump’s project to whitewash US history by cleansing the Smithsonian Institution of historically accurate but unpleasant facts. In August, she co-signed a letter instructing eight of the Smithsonian’s museums to replace exhibits that include “divisive or ideologically driven” material with “unifying, historically accurate” displays.

Answering Trump’s Call…

Based on the weakness of the cases against former FBI director James Comey and another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Trump’s first interim US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Eric S. Siebert, refused his demand to indict them. Trump responded by declaring that he wanted Siebert “out.” Hours later, he resigned.

With the statute of limitations on charges against Comey expiring in days, Trump told Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint 36-year-old Halligan—a senior White House staff secretary and special assistant to the President—as Siebert’s replacement.

“Lindsay Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you a lot,” Trump posted in a public message to Bondi.

Two days later, Halligan was sworn in as the new interim US Attorney. Her singular mission was to secure indictments against Comey and James.

Two days after that, on September 24, she succeeded. Halligan presented the case against Comey personally to the grand jury. Federal judges are now exposing her incompetence.

November 17:A federal magistrate judge found that the government may have violated Comey’s constitutional rights and his attorney-client privilege. The court listed 11 bases upon which the government’s misconduct—including Halligan’s statements to and conduct before the grand jury—may have violated the Constitution and require dismissal of Comey’s indictment.

November 19:Halligan admitted to another federal judge that she never showed the final indictment to the entire grand jury after it had rejected her first submission – a remarkable prosecutorial failure.

November 24:In rulings that invalidated the Comey and James indictments based on Trump’s unlawful appointment of Halligan, a third court began its opinion with this shot:

On September 25, 2025, Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, appeared before a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia. Having been appointed Interim U.S. Attorney by the Attorney General just days before, Ms. Halligan secured a two-count indictment charging former FBI Director James B. Comey, Jr….

…And Suffering the Consequences

Every attorney requires a license to practice law. The bar examiners who issue and renew those licenses promulgate rules of conduct that every lawyer must follow. Even before the latest judicial revelations, Halligan was defending complaints that she had violated those rules. But with the latest court rulings, she is in a whole new world of hurt. And Trump’s pardons won’t help her.

Here’s a partial list of the Model Rules that could pose problems for Halligan:

Rule 1.1: Competence

A lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.“

[Halligan has never tried a criminal case.]

Rule 3.1: Meritorious Claims and Contentions

A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous,….“

[Halligan’s predecessor found that the case against Comey was too weak to pursue.]

Rule 3.8: Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor

The prosecutor in a criminal case shall:

(a)refrain from prosecuting a charge that the prosecutor knows is not supported by probable cause;….“

[Here, again, her predecessor found that any case against Comey was a loser for the government.]

Rule 8.4: Misconduct

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

(d) engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;….“

[The circumstances surrounding Trump’s appointment of Halligan and her subsequent indictment of Comey suggest an abuse of power and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.]

Special rules for federal prosecutors echo and reinforce the Model Rules. They too require probable cause for charges, investigations and prosecutions that are conducted fairly and without vindictiveness, and a ban against politicized or partisan prosecutions.

In fact, the Justice Department has a “longstanding threshold requirement that a prosecutor may commence or recommend federal prosecution only if he/she believes that the person will more likely than not be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by an unbiased trier of fact and that the conviction will be upheld on appeal.”

Even if Halligan manages to keep her law license, she will never recover her professional reputation. It’s the Trump effect.

Maybe she can get Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s old job at Fox News.

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11 19 25

White House lawyer calls for Bondi and Halligan to be 'disbarred' after flubbed indictment

Legal expert says Trump prosecutor 'going to need a presidential pardon'

Judge asks if Trump prosecutor is 'a puppet' during 'gobsmacking' Comey hearing

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MEDIAITE 11 25

Newsmax legal analyst Andrew Napolitano was stunned by a sudden turn in the Trump administration’s case against former FBI Director James Comey.

On Monday, a judge ordered the prosecution — led by Lindsey Halligan — to hand over records relating to grand jury proceedings in the perjury case against Comey. In a scathing opinion, Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick cited “government misconduct” and “fundamental misstatements” that could “compromise the integrity of the grand jury process.”

Halligan’s appointment by President Donald Trump was the subject of controversy earlier in the year. Despite being tasked with such a massive case, she has never prosecuted a federal criminal case before. Her relevant background largely focused on real estate law.

In response to the judge’s order, Napolitano claimed such a measure was “very, very rare.” He continued:....

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an 11 25

A magistrate judge overseeing grand jury material related to the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S.Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia says in a "scathing" rebuke that the government must hand over all grand jury materials by 3 p.m. Monday to the defense team of former FBI Director James Comey, reports MS NOW's legal affairs reporter Fallon Gallagher.

The materials include audio of the grand jury proceedings presented Halligan presented by herself.

Gallagher reports that after reviewing all the evidence and material, the judge issued a "scathing opinion" expressing "serious concerns."

"... Basically he's saying there's possible misconduct and negligence here," Gallagher reports.

"And he goes on to surmise that this may even be enough for the Comey defense team to get this case dismissed," Gallagher says.

She explains that the defense team will be able to review and incorporate the evidence into their case with a series of motions to get the case dismissed.

Halligan, a Trump appointee with no prior prosecutorial experience, brought charges against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Comey is charged with making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding while James is charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

Attorneys for both Comey and James are arguing that Halligan's appointment was illegal, meaning she lacked the authority to present their cases to a grand jury and, therefore, the indictments are invalid.

One of the motions to dismiss was combined with James' case involving the "unlawful appointment" of Halligan as U.S. Attorney, Gallagher reports.

"As far as that one, they argued that one last week," Gallagher says, and she says to "expect a ruling maybe by this week."

The judge's orders Monday, Gallagher notes, are "pretty significant because, if you remember, Halligan is the only one to prosecute this to the grand jury. Hers is the only signature on that indictment, so if she is found ineligible to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, that could be enough to get his case dismissed in and of itself."

Gallagher also says the fact that the judge is ordering the grand jury materials to the defense team is highly unusual.

"This is very rare. This is a very rare thing that's happening and the judge acknowledges that in his opinion . . .there might be misconduct here and that is why he's handing the material over to the defense so they can see how they will use that to get the case dismissed," she says.

"The judge reviewed the materials. They will be docketed. Comey's defense will see it. One of the things we learned is that there may be a chunk of time when Halligan was alone with that grand jury and there's no transcript of what happened in that last chunk between the end of her presentation and when she actually secured that indictment, so it'll be interesting to see what the Comey team finds in these grand jury materials. My guess is that it's pretty serious if the judge is speaking as strongly as he is in this written order," Gallaher adds.

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AN 11 25

A federal judge in Virginia on Thursday heard arguments in a bid from formerFBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James to disqualify President Donald Trump-appointed prosecutor Lindsey Halligan. And, according to a CNN report, the judge's questioning of the Department of Justice at times from courthouse observers.

Attorneys for Comey and James argue Halligan was hand-picked by Trump to prosecute his perceived political enemies. They allege she is serving as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia unlawfully.

CNN's crime and justice correspondent Katelyn Polantz described how Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, "a laid back questioner, a very concise questioner," led "a grilling of the Justice Department if I have ever seen one before from a judge like this."

Polantz detailed the judge's last question to the Justice Department, noting Currie asked: "Do you believe theU.S.v. Trump was wrongly decided?"

Polantz said that question was telling.

The federal case in Washington D.C., related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, was dismissed in November 2024 by Judge Tanya Chutkan at the request of special counsel Jack Smith.

Polantz explained Trump "won his case by having the prosecutor, Jack Smith, tossed off of it in Florida in a set of arguments very similar to this."

"And Judge Curry is now asking the Justice Department, 'Are you guys against that now?' as the Justice Department is wanting these cases against James Comey and Letitia James to go forward," the reporter said.

"The Justice Department lawyer responded, 'that's a different thing. That was a different situation. That doesn't apply here,' Polantz reported. "But that was quite a question that elicited gasps across the courtroom from a lot of people that were listening to this hearing."

10 25

DM JOURNALIST 33 HRS THEN SAID OFF RECD

WSJ GOT DM TO BONDI 2 BEEFY FBI AGENT TO PERP WALK, WENT PUBLIC SO HE SENT 2ND ONE PRAISING HER?

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...In March 2025, OAH issued a statement condemning the Executive Order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” and the order’s grave misrepresentation of historical work and assault on scholarly integrity. Today, we reiterate that condemnation and the bedrock premise that when knowledge is distorted or suppressed, democracy is weakened. We call on all historians, curators, designers, and artists—and all who appreciate and love the search for our past—to resist and condemn, in whatever ways they can, this White House effort to control the American imagination.

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WIKI 10 25

Executive Order 14253, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History", is an executive order signed by Donald Trump on March 31, 2025.

The order seeks to shape how the Smithsonian Institution's museums, education, research centers, and the National Zoo characterize American history, aiming to "remove improper ideology from such properties" in order to project "a symbol of inspiration and American greatness".^[1][2][3]

The order calls for the Department of Interior to determine whether, since January 1, 2020, any monuments, memorials, statues and markers, within the department's jurisdiction contain any descriptions, depictions, or other content that "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)". Additionally, it orders the reinstatement of any pre-existing monuments, memorials, statues, and markers that have been removed or changed to "perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology."^[4][3][5]

Provisions

Executive Order 14253 calls for the Vice President, the Secretary of the Interior, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget working with Congress, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Senior Associate Staff Secretary, Lindsey Halligan to enforce its policies "including by seeking to remove improper ideology from such properties" and "recommend to the President any additional actions necessary to fully effectuate such policies."^[6]

The order states that future appropriations to the Smithsonian Institution shall be informed by these guidelines and prohibits expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy". It stipulates that the Smithsonian Institution must "celebrate the achievements of women in the American Women's History Museum" and "not recognize men as women in any respect in the Museum."^[3]

The order also directs the Secretary of the Interior to determine whether, since January 1, 2020, monuments, memorials, statues and markers, within the departments jurisdiction contain any descriptions, depictions, or other content "inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times)". The department is also ordered to reinstate any pre-existing monuments, memorials, statues and markers that have been removed or changed to "perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology."^[5][6]

Background

Confederate monuments and memorials

More than 160 Confederate monuments and memorials to the Confederate States of America (CSA; the Confederacy) and associated figures have been removed from public spaces in the United States, all but five of which have been since 2015. Some have been removed by state and local governments; others have been torn down by protestors. At least 90 monuments were removed in 2020, the most since 2009, the first year that removals occurred.^[7]

Cultural institutions

During the first 100 days of his second term, Trump focused on cultural organizations like the Kennedy Center and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which he alleged were influenced by a "woke" and "race-centered" ideology.^{[8][9][10][11}]

In Executive Order 14253, he made various unfounded claims about the institution, such as that "the National Museum of African American History and Culture has proclaimed that 'hard work', 'individualism', and 'the nuclear family' are aspects of 'White culture.'"^[8][12]

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an 10 25

After keeping a low profile during the first eight months of Donald Trump's second administration, former U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith broke his silence and discussed his two criminal cases against the now-president: the Mar-a-Lago/classified documents case, and the January 6, 2021 election interference case. Smith revealed that in the documents case, he had even more damning evidence against Trump than was reported in 2023 and 2024 and summarized it in a full report. But that report remains unpublished, and now that Trump loyalist Pam Bondi is U.S. attorney general, the Trump-era DOJ will — in the words of The New Republic's Greg Sargent — "keep it completely covered up."

During an appearance on The New Republic's "Daily Blast" podcast posted on October 16, legal scholar and Constitutional Law Center fellow Matthew Seligman addressed what host Sargent describes as an "extreme level of corruption of DOJ to serve Trump's political demands." That corruption, Sargent lamented, also includes "highly dubious" prosecutions of Trump's foes being carried out by Trump loyalist and interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan in DOJ's Eastern District of Virginia.

Seligman said of Smith's unpublished report, "What it contains, we don't fully know — although we know the broad outlines. One of the things that's remarkable about Donald Trump's crimes is that he has committed them virtually out in the open. The thing that might be added to what we've seen in public already is just more direct evidence of his state of mind…. As to whether we're ever going to see this, that's a hard question to answer. In the short term, the answer is almost certainly not."

If a Democrat wins the 2028 presidential election and Democrats regain "the keys to the Justice Department," Seligman added, Smith's unpublished report might see the light of day in 2029.

Seligman lamented that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will continue to prioritize loyalty to Trump, and he said of Halligan's prosecutions, "It's horrible."

IFrame Content

Seligman told Sargent, "Number two, does someone like Lindsey Halligan ever face consequences? And the answer is yes. And she very likely will, at some point, face disbarment proceedings. The caveat there is that she's from Florida, and I don't know how much the Florida Bar is going to try to hold Trump’s lawyers to account — but at least elsewhere in the country, we’ve seen Rudy Giuliani get disbarred. We've seen Kenneth Chesebro have his legal license suspended. We've seen John Eastman, who I testified against on behalf of the California Bar, be subject to attorney discipline — he's been disbarred pending appeals."

*Listen to the full New Republic podcast at this link and read the transcript here.

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AN 10 25

Trump loyalist who charged Comey outsourcing help as she 'struggles to find staff': report

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AN 10 25

A senior prosecutor in Virginia is reportedly preparing to decline a high-stakes directive to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), raising serious questions about political interference at the Justice Department.

MSNBC reported Monday that Elizabeth Yusi, who leads major criminal prosecutions in the Norfolk office of the Eastern District of Virginia, has privately informed colleagues she finds no probable cause to charge James with mortgage fraud.

According to the report, she intends to formalize this view and present her reasoning to the newly installed acting U.S. Attorney for that district, Lindsey Halligan.

Halligan, a former White House aide and private attorney, replaced Erik Siebertafter President Donald Trump publicly called for his removal, an effort sparked by Siebert’s reluctance to bring charges against James and former FBI Director James Comey.

Within the Eastern District, prosecutors anticipate potential reprisals against Yusi for resisting political pressure to pursue the James case. According to the report, her colleagues fear she could be dismissed for insubordination.

IFrame Content

Trump has publicly demanded that the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against James, even though long-serving prosecutors have concluded there is insufficient evidence to show that she lied or intended to lie in her mortgage application for her niece’s home, per the report.

In a post on his Truth Social platform Saturday, Trump called James “SCUM” and demanded she be removed as New York’s attorney general, citing what he characterized as her “WITCH HUNT against President Donald J. Trump, and others.”

Randall Eliason, former chief public corruption prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., told MSNBC: “This supervisor clearly is doing the right and ethical thing by refusing to bend her legal conclusions to fit the president’s desire for political retribution.“

Eliason added that career prosecutors are being "forced to choose between honoring their oaths and risking their livelihood" and "forced out by the president’s politicization of the Justice Department.’”

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DEM DOCK

Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, was appointed by President Donald Trump Monday as temporary U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Halligan’s appointment marks a dangerous escalation in Trump’s effort to use the power of the U.S. Justice Department to advance his personal and political interests — a push that is spurring intense criticism and alarm among former prosecutors and legal experts.

“Trump wants to skip constitutional safeguards in order to carry out retribution,” one former U.S. attorney told Democracy Docket.

It comes after Erik Seibert was forced out of the post last week amid pressure from the president and senior Trump officials to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James on unproven mortgage fraud allegations. And it follows Trump’s order to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute his political adversaries, including James, former FBI Director James Comey and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)

Trump’s scheme has been widely condemned by former DOJ officials. And it has ignited fears that other U.S. attorneys overseeing political investigations will also be threatened with removal for failing to comply with orders from the White House.

Though Siebert resigned in a letter to staff last week, Trump over the weekend claimed he fired Siebert because the prosecutor raised concerns about the legal viability of bringing charges against James.

“He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after Seibert resigned.

Seibert’s office spent months investigating James but concluded there was insufficient evidence to support bringing criminal charges.

In addition to the James probe, the Eastern District of Virginia is investigating Comey over claims that he lied under oath while testifying before Congress during Trump’s first term.

Trump has repeatedly vowed to seek revenge against James, who won a multi-million dollar judgment against the Trump Organization, and Comey, who has become a prominent Trump critic.

Halligan’s background is in insurance law, but her profile rose among Trump’s inner circle after she joined his defense team during the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search in 2022. She later became special assistant to Trump, taking on ideological projects such as reviewing federal museums for what Trump called “improper ideology.”

Trump’s order to Bondi, his ouster of Seibert and appointment of Halligan marked an escalation of Trump’s longrunning effort to obliterate DOJ’s independence to use it as an arm of his sprawling revenge campaign against his perceived enemies, former prosecutors have said.

“Trump wants to skip constitutional safeguards in order to carry out retribution,” John McKay, a former U.S. attorney in Seattle who served during the administration of President George W. Bush, told Democracy Docket. “That is unconstitutional. That is unlawful. Everyone should be speaking up about it, especially including the public in nonviolent ways.”

McKay was one of nine U.S. attorneys ousted by the White House for politically motivated reasons during the Bush administration. The scandal led to a congressional investigation and ultimately the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

“In my case, when I was fired by Alberto Gonzales as U.S. attorney in Seattle, they lied about the reason for doing it because they didn’t want anyone to think they were doing it for political reasons,” McKay said. “But now, they’re saying it right out loud. They’re saying, ‘We are doing it for political reasons. That is unlawful. That is unethical. It violates due process. And we have to speak out against it.’”

McKay added that Trump’s directive to Bondi and the forced ouster of Siebert was “characteristic of authoritarianism and fascism.”

“I don’t think Siebert will be the last one to be fired,” Stacey Young, the executive director and founder of Justice Connection, a support network for DOJ alumni, told Democracy Docket “I don’t think this seemingly unqualified nominee is going to be the last unqualified nominee we’ll see,”

“And I’m worried about how far this is going to go,” Young added. “Every prosecutor in the DOJ now understands that if there’s a case where they don’t think they will have enough evidence to convict one of the president’s enemies, they’ll probably be fired too.”

The Society for the Rule of Law Institute, a center-right legal organization founded by prominent former DOJ officials, in a statement denounced Trump’s treatment of Siebert and his weaponization of the Justice Department.

“The resignation of U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert marks a new low point in the ongoing corruption of the Justice Department by a White House intent on using federal resources – not to defend the Constitution and the Rule of Law – but to persecute political critics and reward presidential sycophants,” the Society said.

James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the effort to oust Seibert and replace him with a loyalist “an act of political revenge.”

“The Justice Department has firm policies against using investigations and against using prosecutorial power for achieving political ends,” Lowell said after Seibert submitted his resignation. “This is ever more the case when that demand is made to seek political revenge against a public official in the opposite party.”

The mortgage fraud allegations against James stemmed in part from a preliminary loan document obtained by Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency who has recently become one of Trump’s favored attack dogs. He has leveled similar accusations against Schiff and Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, who stands in the way of Trump’s attempted takeover of the central bank.

Trump’s appointment of Halligan is a continuation of his unprecedented move to populate the DOJ with his former attorneys.

In addition to Halligan, Bondi, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche, Solicitor General John Sauer, temporary U.S. Attorney of New Jersey Alina Habba, and temporary U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York John Sarcone are either former Trump defense attorneys or represented his campaign.

Habba and Sarcone are among several loyalists atop U.S. attorneys offices across the country who have taken explicitly partisan actions in their traditionally nonpartisan roles.

Halligan’s appointment came just days after Mary Cleary, a conservative lawyer who recently said she was “framed” for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, unexpectedly said she had been named acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The federal statute governing U.S. attorney vacancies holds that Halligan can legally only hold the post for 120 days. However, with other temporary U.S. attorney appointments, most prominently Habba’s, Bondi has attempted to circumvent the 120-day limit by shifting around titles.

Legal experts have warned that the effort has undermined federal law and Congress’ constitutional authority to confirm U.S. attorneys.

“It’s obvious they are trying to manipulate the law to put in place persons they think will be compliant with President Trump’s autocratic impulses,” McKay said. “They’re going to be successful in some cases. They’re going to be unsuccessful in others.”

The Eastern District of Virginia has long handled cases involving espionage, terrorism and political corruption. Now with a loyalist leading it, it may become a weapon to target Trump’s enemies.

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an 9 25

'Engineered incompetence': Why Trump may have picked Lindsey Halligan to oversee the Comey case

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an 9 25

Lindsey Halligan – who was sworn in earlier this week as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — has an uphill battle not just in a high-profile prosecution, but also in winning over her own staff.

That's according to a Friday article by CNN, which reported that Halligan alone asked a grand jury to hand down felony indictments for former FBI Director James Comey — the first-ever former FBI director to be charged with federal crimes. This is a reportedly unusual step for U.S. attorneys, who typically have help from other career Department of Justice prosecutors to convince a grand jury to bring charges against a defendant. CNN characterized this as "a not-so-subtle sign of protest from the Eastern District of Virginia prosecutors over the strength of the case."

Comey was ultimately indicted on two of the three charges Halligan brought, which were for making false statements and obstruction of justice. The grand jury declined to indict on a separate false statements charge, which CNN noted was "a very unusual occurrence in the federal justice system."

"It’s very rare for a count that’s been presented to the grand jury to be rejected," former assistant U.S. attorney Timothy Belevetz — who worked in the Eastern District of Virginia – told CNN.

Additionally, the full charging document is just two pages long, and has no other signatures other than Halligan's (a typical charging document will have multiple signatures from prosecutors in addition to the U.S. attorney overseeing the case). CNN further reported that both Attorney General Pam Bondi and other DOJ prosecutors had "concerns" about the strength of the case against Comey.

IFrame Content

Halligan has no prior experience as a prosecutor, and worked as an insurance lawyer before Trump put her on the legal team handling his classified documents case. Halligan never had to defend Trump in a trial setting, as U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon (who Trump appointed to the Southern District of Florida in 2020) threw the case out after the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court gave Trump absolute criminal immunity for any "official acts."

CNN reported that the indictment capped off a "tumultuous" week for the Eastern District of Virginia, which has had three separate people in charge of the office in just the past seven days. Former U.S. attorney Erik Siebert was forced to resign from his post despite being appointed by President Donald Trump to head up the district in May. Siebert had told Trump administration officials that there wasn't sufficient evidence to bring charges against Comey or other Trump rivals, like New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) After he left, former Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney Mary "Maggie" Cleary — who had recently joined the DOJ's criminal division – was made acting head of the office before Halligan was sworn in.

The shakeup began after Trump posted a weekend screed to his Truth Social platform directed at Bondi, expressing frustration that his rivals hadn't yet been hit with criminal charges. He wrote: "They're all guilty as hell, but nothing will be done," and added that Bondi needed to act "NOW" and that the DOJ "can't delay any longer."

Click here to read CNN's full report.

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10 25 SOME TALK TDB

Lindsey Halligan - Wikipedia

Lindsey Robyn Michelle Halligan (born July 21, 1989) is an American lawyer who serves as the interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia since September 2025. Halligan served as special assistant to the president and White House senior associate staff secretary from January to September 2025.

Halligan began her career as an insurance lawyer and became a partner at Cole, Scott & Kissane in 2018. In 2022, then-former president Donald Trump named Halligan to his legal team. She was involved in litigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation's search of Mar-a-Lago. Halligan continued working with Trump on several other legal efforts.

In January 2025, Trump named Halligan as the White House senior associate staff secretary. She advocated for action against exhibits at Smithsonian Institution museums that she saw as disparaging the United States. In September, Trump forced the interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, from his position over his handling of his office's investigations into Trump opponents. He named Halligan, who has had no prosecutorial experience, as the interim U.S. attorney and nominated her for the position.

Early life and education (1989–2013)

Lindsey Robyn Michelle Halligan was born on July 21, 1989, in Portland, Maine.^[1] Halligan is the daughter of audiologists. Her sister, Gavin, is a family law attorney who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in the 2016 election for the Colorado House of Representatives's fourth district. Halligan was raised in Broomfield, Colorado, and attended Holy Family High School, where she played softball and basketball. She graduated from Regis University with a bachelor's degree in politics and broadcast journalism and from the University of Miami School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2013. At the University of Miami, Halligan interned for the Innocence Project and the Miami-Dade County public defender's office.^[2] She worked as a Deco Model in 2012.^[3] She competed in the Miss Colorado USA pageant in 2009 and 2010, reaching the semifinals and earning third runner-up, respectively.^[2]

Career

Insurance law (2013–2022)

After graduating from law school, Halligan worked for Cole, Scott & Kissane,^[2] an insurance law firm specializing in residential and commercial properties.^[4] She became a partner in 2018.^[2] At Cole, Scott & Kissane, Halligan represented insurance companies against lawsuits filed by homeowners and corporate plaintiffs.^[5]

Trump legal work (2022–2025)

In November 2021, Halligan met former president Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club, according to a statement she provided to The Washington Post.^[2] Trump named her to his legal team several months later^[2] amid the Federal Bureau of Investigation's investigation into his handling of government documents.^[6] Halligan told Politico that she was present at Mar-a-Lago for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's search of the property.^[7] She was involved in Trump v. United States, a lawsuit requesting a special master to review the material seized by the bureau in the search.^[8] Halligan remained with Trump as two lawyers who worked with her resigned.^[9]

Halligan's work for Trump included a defamation lawsuit against CNN that was dismissed,^[10] an effort to defend his presidential eligibility amid legal contentions with the Fourteenth Amendment,^[11] and an attempt to dissuade the Department of Justice from indicting Trump over his handling of classified documents.^[12] Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, an Iranian hacking campaign targeted Trump advisors. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly obtained emails from Halligan, among others, and threatened to release them in July 2025.^[13] Halligan reviewed draft executive orders, briefing materials, and press releases to identify "inconsistencies and potential legal risks".^[14]

Roles in Trump administration (2025–present)

Halligan (far right) with Trump in April 2025.

After Trump's second inauguration, Halligan was appointed as the White House senior associate staff secretary,^[11] and special assistant to the president.^[5][15] She advocated for Trump to take action against exhibits at Smithsonian Institution museums that she saw as disparaging the United States.^[2] In March, Trump signed an executive order to review exhibits at the Smithsonian's museums, naming Halligan to lead the effort.^[16] She sought the removal of Amy Sherald's painting "Trans Forming Liberty", depicting a transgender African American woman as an approximation of the Statue of Liberty.^[17]

In September, Trump forced out the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, over his handling of his office's investigations into Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, and James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.^[18] After Siebert's dismissal, Boris Epshteyn, a Trump aide, approached Halligan about taking the position.^[19] On September 20, Trump announced that he would nominate Halligan—who has no prosecutorial experience—to succeed Siebert.^[20] According to The New York Times, attorney general Pam Bondi and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche questioned her viability for the role given her lack of experience.^[19] Two days later, Halligan was sworn in as the interim U.S. attorney.^[21] Hours after being appointed, she sought access to her office's computers for communication purposes.^[22] Halligan resigned as staff secretary after she was appointed.^[23]

Halligan intended to ask a grand jury to indict Comey, despite an internal memorandum dissuading her from bringing charges against him.^[15] On September 25, Comey was indicted.^[24] Halligan was the only official from the Department of Justice to represent the government. According to the Times, Comey's indictment was narrowly secured by the grand jury.^[19] In October, Halligan indicted Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud.^[25]

References...

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GGL 10 25 NOT FEDSOC?

[### With Appointment of Loyalist as Top Virginia Prosecutor ...

Democracy Docket

https://www.democracydocket.com › News](https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-loyalist-lindsey-halligan-eastern-district-virginia-letitia-james/)

Sep 22, 2025 — Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, was appointed by President Donald Trump Monday as temporary U.S. Attorney for ...

Missing: FEDERALIST ‎| Show results with: FEDERALIST

[### Lindsey Halligan

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Lindsey_Halligan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsey_Halligan)

Lindsey Robyn Michelle Halligan (born July 21, 1989) is an American lawyer who serves as the interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of ...

Missing: FEDERALIST ‎SOCIETY

[### Who Is Lindsey Halligan? Trump Ex-Defense Attorney ...

Forbes

https://www.forbes.com › Business](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/09/25/what-to-know-about-lindsey-halligan-trumps-ex-defense-attorney-whos-trying-to-indict-james-comey/)

Sep 25, 2025 — Trump appointed his former personal attorney to a U.S. attorney role—and she's now reportedly going after the president's foes.