Trump Names Halligan as Principal Federal Prosecutor for Virginia
On a recent Saturday, President Donald Trump made known his intention to put forward Lindsey Halligan, a senior aide from the White House, as the principal federal prosecutor for the Virginia branch, which faced disruption after its U.S. attorney was ousted the day before. Taking to social media after leaving the White House for a function at Mount Vernon, Trump announced his choice of Halligan to become the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, emphasizing that she would ‘exhibit fairness, intelligence and ensure the much-needed, justice for everyone.’ This declaration emerged as Trump implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to continue with the cases against a few of his political adversaries, which is in line with his promise of reprisal since his return to the White House.
The appointment brings one of the Trump’s legal advocates to helm an office that has been faced with political pressure from government officials to criminally charge-, Letitia James, the New York Attorney General and a known Trump adversary, in a case concerning mortgage fraud. The Justice Department, over several preceding months, undertook this investigation, with no evidence so far suggesting that the prosecutors have found any significantly incriminating proof to secure a charge. James’ legal team has strongly overturned any claims and marked the investigation as a political vendetta.
Halligan has been a member of Trump’s legal team for many years, which includes her services as one of his lawyers during the early phase of the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s possession of classified documents at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. That same Saturday morning, Trump shared a message on his social media platforms addressed to Bondi, claiming to have ‘analyzed over 30 statements and posts’ which he perceived as chastising his administration due to lack of progress in ongoing investigations, most notably the one concerning James’ activities.
Trump’s social media update also referenced James Comey, the former FBI Director. In the summer, the FBI confirmed that it was investigating Comey, who was subsequently interviewed by the Secret Service. Comey maintained that his post was not intended to be threatening and subsequently took it down when he understood its interpretation.
As he prepared to leave the White House, when questioned about his message addressed to Bondi, Trump called for immediate action. ‘We need to move swiftly — either way,’ the president expressed. ‘They’re innocent, they’re guilty — we need swift action. If they’re innocent, that’s not a problem. But, if they are guilty or have grounds to be charge, they must face charges. And we must act now.’,
After this, Trump took to social media once again to announce Halligan’s nomination and praised Bondi’s work, claiming she was ‘performing fantastically.’ The recommendation of Halligan arrived just a few hours following Mary ‘Maggie’ Cleary, another conservative lawyer, announced in an email to her colleagues that she had been chosen to serve as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
‘Although this appointment came as a surprise, I am honored to stand among you,’ Cleary explained to the colleagues in her email. Cleary, a conservative lawyer, previously expressed that she was wrongfully accused of being part of the U.S. Capitol assault on January 6, 2021.
Meanwhile, the previous prosecutor had confirmed his resignation. However, contradicting this, Trump later claimed in a social media post: ‘He didn’t resign, he was dismissed!’ Trump also mentioned that his decision was supported by the state’s two Democratic senators, Mark Warner, and Tim Kaine, and mockingly added: ‘Next time, let him run as a Democrat, not a Republican.’