Trump-Appointed Prosecutor Lindsey Halligan Engages in Controversial Text Exchange with Reporter Over High-Profile Indictments

Lindsey Halligan, the Trump‑appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who replaced a career prosecutor who resigned rather than pursue politically fraught charges, directly messaged Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower on Signal about reporting on the Justice Department’s prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Over a roughly 33‑hour exchange Halligan criticized Bower’s summaries, referenced grand‑jury matters while declining to disclose protected information, and repeatedly refused to specify the factual errors Bower asked her to identify. After screenshots of the texts were published, Halligan attempted retroactively to declare the conversation off the record, which Bower and journalism experts say is invalid because off‑the‑record agreements must be made in advance. Reporters and legal observers say Halligan’s personal outreach about an active prosecution breaks long‑standing norms for how federal prosecutors engage with the press and has intensified scrutiny of her appointment and the indictments she has brought, including against Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey. The episode has renewed concerns about politicization of prosecutions and appropriate DOJ‑press interactions.