Trump Nominates Former Attorney Lindsey Halligan to Lead Eastern District of Virginia

President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Lindsey Halligan, a former defense attorney and current White House staff member, to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan previously represented Trump during the classified documents investigation and is currently working in the White House staff secretary's office. In a series of posts on his social media platform, Trump stated that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia needed a "tough prosecutor" to "get things moving." He emphasized the need for a prosecutor who is not a "Democrat Endorsed 'Republican'" and expressed confidence that Halligan would be "Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!" The announcement follows the resignation of Erik Siebert, the previous head of the office, who stepped down amid pressure from Trump administration officials to bring a criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Siebert had been investigating James over alleged mortgage fraud but did not pursue charges due to insufficient evidence. Halligan, who is licensed to practice law in Florida and has no prior prosecutorial experience, joined Trump's legal team during the Justice Department's probe into his handling of classified material after leaving office. More recently, from her position in the White House, she was tasked by Trump with efforts to address what the administration describes as radical ideology at the Smithsonian Institution museums. Trump praised Halligan as a "tough, smart, and loyal attorney" who has worked with him extensively, including during the investigation into the search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. The nomination comes shortly after Trump expressed dissatisfaction with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi over the pace of investigations into his political opponents, including the investigation of James over an allegation of mortgage fraud. Trump stated that he wanted Siebert "out" of the position because Virginia's two Democratic senators supported his nomination. Siebert had been serving as the interim U.S. attorney since Trump's inauguration and was nominated for the position in May. Staff at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Virginia received an email from Maggie Cleary, an official who recently joined the Justice Department's Criminal Division, announcing that she had been named the acting head of the office.