President Donald Trump announced that he will nominate Lindsey Halligan for a U.S. attorney role in Virginia after withdrawing his previous pick ahead of the weekend.
“I will be nominating Lindsey Halligan to be the United States Attorney in this very important part of our Great Country. She will be Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!” he posted on Truth Social.
Trump had been floating Halligan for the prosecutor job in the Eastern District of Virginia throughout the evening on Saturday, pitching her to Attorney General Pam Bondi as a “really good lawyer” who “likes you, a lot.”
That suggestion came hours after Bondi elevated another attorney, Mary “Maggie” Cleary, to the position in an acting capacity. Cleary had just started working in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division earlier this month, after numerous stints as an attorney in the Commonwealth.
But Trump, underscoring the urgency for filling the role, ultimately went in a different direction, choosing one of his onetime attorneys and White House aides for a position that is investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James’s alleged mortgage fraud in the state.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump said.
During her time in the White House, Halligan has been vetting content in the Smithsonian museums to ensure it aligns with Trump’s vision, which is to “celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
Before her current role, she represented Trump in his since-tossed classified documents case, and was at Mar-a-Lago during the FBI’s raid on the property.
If Halligan is confirmed, she will take over an attorney’s office that was previously led by Erik Siebert, who Trump fired after he received “UNUSUALLY STRONG” backing from Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
An ABC News report, however, said Siebert was forced out after not finding incriminating evidence against James, who allegedly listed her Norfolk, Virginia, home as a “primary residence” to lock in a better mortgage rate.
James has not been charged in the investigation, which was launched in April, and has denied wrongdoing.
BONDI NAMES NEW VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR AFTER EARLIER TRUMP FIRING
Her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, called Trump’s firing of Siebert “illegal” in a statement on Friday.
“Punishing this prosecutor, a Trump appointee, for doing his job sends a clear and chilling message that anyone who dares uphold the law over politics will face the same fate,” Lowell said.
