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Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche both reportedly “quietly questioned” the qualifications of Lindsey Halligan, President Donald Trump’s newly-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Trump named Halligan to her post last Monday after her predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned, reportedly over his refusal to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In the days since assuming her post, Halligan has secured a controversial indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. Notably, Halligan personally presented the evidence against Comey to the grand jury.
According to a New York Times report, Bondi and Blanche were both skeptical of Halligan’s appointment. From the story:
Mr. Trump announced that Ms. Halligan, a former member of his criminal defense team who had previously specialized in insurance law, would run the office. That her first order of business was indicting Mr. Comey was obvious.
Ms. Bondi and Mr. Blanche had not been given much of a head’s up, or veto power, over the pick. Both quietly questioned Ms. Halligan’s credentials to run such an important U.S. attorney’s office, according to a person with knowledge of her thinking.
They have subsequently offered their enthusiastic support for Ms. Halligan. Officials from the Justice Department’s headquarters were at the courthouse to assist Ms. Halligan, according to a spokesman for the department.
It is not clear who assisted Ms. Halligan in drafting the bare-bones, two-page indictment. Tellingly, she was the only one to sign the paperwork. Typically such filings are also endorsed by career prosecutors who have gathered the evidence in the case.
Siebert’s exit, Halligan’s appointment, and Comey’s indictment all came just days after Trump posted the following missive, seemingly addressed to Bondi, on Truth Social:
Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia?? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. 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!!! President DJT
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The post Pam Bondi Reportedly ‘Quietly Questioned’ Trump’s Handpicked Comey Prosecutor first appeared on Mediaite.
