President Donald Trump’s efforts to have the Department of Justice criminally indict former FBI Director James Comey have reportedly led to significant staff changes within a key U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia. Over six career prosecutors have been demoted or forced out of the Eastern District of Virginia’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, with some citing ethical concerns and fear of working on cases that violate their principles. This turmoil follows the firings of U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert for insufficient evidence and interim U.S. Attorney Lindsay Halligan due to an unlawful appointment, contributing to an understaffed office.
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Lindsey Halligan leaving the US attorney’s office is, in a nutshell, the story of someone who was told to stop pretending to be something she wasn’t. It’s not a case of a resignation, a departure, or even a firing. It’s more akin to being escorted out of a building you weren’t authorized to enter in the first place. The crux of the matter is that a federal judge explicitly ordered Halligan to cease using the title of interim U.S. attorney or face disciplinary action. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill personnel move; it’s a legal directive, a very public acknowledgement that her presence in that role was, well, questionable at best.… Continue reading
The US attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., faces challenges in securing grand jury indictments, as evidenced by a recent case where a grand jury voted “no” three times on a felony assault charge. The case involved an incident with an FBI agent and an immigration officer. The grand jury’s repeated rejection of the indictment comes amid increased scrutiny of the office’s crackdown on crime and aggressive charging practices, particularly regarding assaults on police. Ultimately, the accused will face misdemeanor charges instead of a felony.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood