Federal prosecutors facing charges brought by President Donald Trump’s foes Lindsey Halligan and James Comey will argue in court Thursday that the prosecutor who secured their indictments was illegally installed in the role. The appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia is being challenged, with lawyers claiming that Attorney General Pam Bondi overstepped her authority by making an interim appointment after the previous interim attorney’s resignation.
According to the law, federal judges of the district have exclusive say over filling vacancies in this role once the initial 120-day period expires. However, instead of going through the proper process, Bondi installed Halligan as interim U.S. attorney after Siebert resigned under pressure from the Trump administration. This has raised questions about the legitimacy of Halligan’s appointment and whether it was made without the necessary judicial approval.
Halligan’s appointment is part of a larger effort by James Comey and Letitia James to get their cases dismissed before trial. The prosecutors claim that the law does not explicitly prevent successive appointments of interim U.S. attorneys, but their lawyers argue that the case should be dismissed due to alleged vindictiveness and personal animus towards their clients.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/comey-letitia-james-justice-department-ff6435d7bdbcc9e9495844899c7e2c4e