Trump Nominates Lindsey Halligan to Virginia US Attorney Amid Political Turmoil

Federal prosecutors in Virginia are experiencing significant turnover amid political pressure from President Donald Trump's administration. The resignations of Todd Gilbert in the Western District and Erik Siebert in the Eastern District, the latter reportedly pushed out due to lack of criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James in a mortgage fraud investigation, have caused anxiety and low morale among career prosecutors. Trump announced he is nominating Lindsey Halligan, a senior White House aide and one of his legal defenders, as the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a move aligned with his push for prosecutions against political opponents. Meanwhile, Mary "Maggie" Cleary has been named acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, inheriting an office fraught with controversy and political pressure. The investigation into James has not yielded incriminating evidence, and her legal team describes the probe as politically motivated. Experts warn that such politicization risks damaging the professional integrity of the Justice Department during and beyond the Trump era.