Trump's handpicked prosecutor takes over Comey and James cases

"A lawyer loyal to President Donald Trump was sworn in as the top federal prosecutor in eastern Virginia on Monday, as the president becomes increasingly impatient for the indictments of two people he despises: former FBI Director James B. Comey and Attorney General Letitia James of New York. The lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, a White House adviser and former Trump defense attorney with no prosecutorial experience, was tapped as the interim U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia,"

"Halligan replaces Erik S. Siebert, who was forced out of the job late last week amid rising dissatisfaction from Trump and his top advisers that Siebert had not delivered indictments in the two high-profile cases. Days before he resigned, Siebert conveyed to his Justice Department superiors that the cases against Comey and James were quite weak and not likely to result in any charges, according to people familiar with the interactions."

"On Thursday night, a senior Justice Department official warned Siebert that the White House wanted him gone, one of the people said. The next day, Trump forced him out. The switch in leadership comes amid a time crunch in the case of Comey, as one of the areas under investigation is his congressional testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity about a sensitive investigation."

The president appointed Lindsey Halligan, a White House adviser and former Trump defense attorney with no prosecutorial experience, as interim U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. She replaces Erik S. Siebert, who was forced out after the White House grew dissatisfied that he had not secured indictments of James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Siebert had told Justice Department superiors the cases against Comey and James were weak and unlikely to yield charges. The change accelerates scrutiny in Comey’s case, where the five-year statute of limitations for his Sept. 30, 2020 congressional testimony expires in eight days.

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