❓WHAT HAPPENED: Attorneys for Letitia James and James Comey are seeking to disqualify U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, alleging her appointment was illegal.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Letitia James, James Comey, U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, Judge Cameron Currie, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The hearing is scheduled for Thursday in federal court, presided over by Judge Cameron Currie in South Carolina.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The law allows the attorney general only one appointment of up to 120 days, after which the post must be filled by other means.” – Attorneys for James and Comey
🎯IMPACT: If Halligan is disqualified, it could jeopardize the indictments against James and Comey, as she was the only prosecutor to sign and present the cases to grand juries.
Attorneys for New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey will appear in federal court on Thursday in an attempt to have interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan disqualified from prosecuting their cases. The hearing will be overseen by Judge Cameron Currie, a Clinton appointee, in South Carolina, with the legal teams for James and Comey expected to move that Halligan’s appointment is illegal under federal law.
Halligan, one of President Donald J. Trump’s former personal lawyers, was named by Attorney General Pam Bondi as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September. Halligan replaced Erik Siebert, who resigned after reportedly refusing to bring charges against Comey and James.
James and Comey’s legal teams claim Halligan’s appointment violated legal limits on who can serve as an interim U.S. attorney. They argue that the federal statute allows for only one 120-day appointment by the attorney general, after which the position must be filled by court-directed means. The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, contends that Siebert’s resignation reset the 120-day clock, permitting Bondi to appoint Halligan temporarily.
The issue is significant because Halligan was the sole federal prosecutor to sign the indictments and present evidence to grand juries in the cases against James and Comey. If disqualified, it could impact the validity of the indictments. Three other DOJ prosecutors have already been disqualified by federal courts in related matters.
Image by Paul Morigi Photography.
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