Why Lindsey Halligan, Trump loyalist turned U.S. Attorney, is in trouble
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Grand juries in the United States
12 min read
The article centers on Halligan's alleged misconduct involving grand jury procedures. Understanding how federal grand juries work, their constitutional basis in the Fifth Amendment, quorum requirements, and the indictment process provides essential context for why her actions are considered serious misconduct.
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United States Attorney
11 min read
Halligan's appointment as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia is central to the story. Understanding the role, appointment process, traditional qualifications, and the significance of this particular district (one of the busiest federal courts) illuminates why her lack of prosecutorial experience and apparent misconduct is notable.
Lindsey Halligan, a 2013 graduate of the University of Miami Law School, has extensive experience as an insurance lawyer. From 2014 to 2022, the 36-year-old practiced at Cole, Scott & Kissane, a large firm based in Ft. Lauderdale, where she defended insurance companies in cases involving fire, water damage, vandalism, and theft.
In November 2021, Halligan met President Trump at his golf club in Palm Beach and was recruited to join Trump’s legal team. In that role, she sued CNN on Trump’s behalf, arguing that calling Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election the “Big Lie” was defamatory. Halligan was also part of the team defending Trump against charges of mishandling classified documents.
When Trump returned to the White House, Halligan joined his administration, taking on a variety of tasks, including leading the effort to purge “woke” ideology from the Smithsonian.
Halligan has no experience, however, in prosecuting federal crimes. Nevertheless, on September 23, Trump appointed Halligan as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Two months later, Halligan finds herself in hot water.
Trump appointed Halligan to the role because he was desperate to find someone to indict former FBI Director James Comey and other political enemies. Comey drew the ire of Trump for his role in investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The problem for Halligan was that the basis for the charges against Comey was very weak. Her predecessor, Erik Siebert, resigned rather than indict Comey and another Trump antagonist, New York Attorney General Letitia James. Halligan, on the other hand, is a loyalist.
In an effort to quickly deliver exactly what Trump wanted, Halligan submitted an indictment to the court that the full grand jury had neither seen nor voted on. It is an extremely rare form of misconduct, but other lawyers who have engaged in similar acts have been suspended, disbarred, and criminally charged.
The legal requirements for a valid grand jury indictment
Under federal law, to prosecute someone for a felony, you must obtain an indictment from a grand jury. It is spelled out in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand
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