Lindsey Halligan leaves post as US attorney after judges’ sharp criticism

Lindsey Halligan, a Trump-appointed federal attorney who led the failed prosecutions of two of the president’s political opponents, has left her position at the US justice department, attorney general Pam Bondi said on Tuesday.The departure of Halligan, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, comes after multiple judges have sharply criticized her and cast doubts on her ability to lawfully remain in her position.Halligan, who had no prosecutorial experience, was sworn in as interim US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia in September after the president pushed out her predecessor who had declined to bring charges against Letitia James, the New York attorney general, and James Comey, the former FBI director. Halligan oversaw indictments brought against James and Comey, which were criticized as politically vindictive, and a judge in November dismissed the cases.The judge who threw out the cases ruled that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed and did not have the legal authority to bring the indictment against James and Comey.Attorneys general can appoint interim US attorneys to serve 120-day stints, but Halligan’s appointment was deemed unlawful since her predecessor had already served 120 days, meaning federal judges in the district had the exclusive authority to fill the position. The Senate is required to confirm a US attorney within 120 days of their appointment.Lawyers for the justice department have argued the administration is authorized to make back-to-back interim appointments, but at least six federal judges have rejected that argument, the Washington Post noted.Halligan’s departure comes as she was facing escalating scrutiny. On Tuesday, David Novak, a federal judge, said he was removing the words “United States attorney” from the signature of an indictment, saying Halligan was prohibited from continuing to present herself with that title, the AP reported. The judge threatened to launch disciplinary proceedings against Halligan if she violated the order and continued presenting herself as a US attorney.“No matter all of her machinations, Ms Halligan has no legal basis to represent to this Court that she holds the position. And any such representation going forward can only be described as a false statement made in direct defiance of valid court orders,” Novak wrote. “In short, this charade of Ms Halligan masquerading as the United States Attorney for this District in direct defiance of binding court orders must come to an end.”In a separate order on Tuesday, M Hannah Lauck, the chief judge of the eastern district of Virginia, directed a clerk to publish a job posting announcement for the US attorney job, saying the position was vacant.Bondi praised Halligan in a social media post announcing her departure, saying she had “fulfilled her responsibilities with courage and resolve”.“The circumstances that led to this outcome are deeply misguided,” Bondi added. “We are living in a time when a democratically elected President’s ability to staff key law enforcement positions faces serious obstacles.”Halligan and spokespeople for the US attorney’s office for the eastern district of Virginia did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.The Associated Press contributed reporting