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Lindsey Halligan

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Lindsey Halligan
Halligan in 2025
Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
Incumbent, de facto, unlawful[a]
Assumed office
September 22, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byMaggie Cleary
Personal details
BornLindsey Robyn Michelle Halligan
(1989-07-21) July 21, 1989 (age 36)
Portland, Maine, U.S.
Education

Lindsey Robyn Michelle Halligan (born July 21, 1989) is an American attorney who was appointed the interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September 2025. In November 2025, a federal judge ruled that Halligan's appointment was unlawful; the Trump administration intends to appeal the ruling. Halligan has additionally served as a special attorney for the Department of Justice since October 2025. She served as special assistant to the president and White House senior associate staff secretary from January to September 2025.

Halligan graduated from Regis University and the University of Miami School of Law. She began working as an insurance lawyer and became a partner at Cole, Scott & Kissane in 2018. In 2022, then-former president Donald Trump named Halligan to his legal team. She was involved in litigation involving the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago. Halligan continued working with Trump on several other legal efforts.

In January 2025, Trump named Halligan as the White House senior associate staff secretary. She advocated for action against exhibits at Smithsonian Institution museums that she saw as disparaging the United States. In September, Trump forced the interim United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, from his position over his handling of his office's investigations into Trump opponents. He named Halligan, who at the time had no prosecutorial experience, as the interim U.S. attorney and nominated her for the position. In November, a federal judge ruled that Halligan's appointment was unlawful.

Early life and education (1989–2013)

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Lindsey Robyn Michelle Halligan was born on July 21, 1989, in Portland, Maine.[1] Halligan is the daughter of audiologists. Her sister, Gavin, is a family law attorney who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in the 2016 election for the Colorado House of Representatives's fourth district. Halligan was raised in Broomfield, Colorado, and attended Holy Family High School, where she played softball and basketball. She graduated from Regis University with a bachelor's degree in politics and broadcast journalism and from the University of Miami School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2013. At the University of Miami, Halligan interned for the Innocence Project and the Miami-Dade County public defender's office.[2] She worked for Deco Models, a Miami modeling agency, in 2012.[3] She competed in the Miss Colorado USA pageant in 2009 and 2010, reaching the semifinals and earning third runner-up, respectively.[2]

Career

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Insurance law (2013–2022)

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After graduating from law school, Halligan worked for Cole, Scott & Kissane,[2] an insurance law firm specializing in residential and commercial properties.[4] She became a partner in 2018.[2] At Cole, Scott & Kissane, Halligan represented insurance companies against lawsuits filed by homeowners and corporate plaintiffs.[5]

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In November 2021, Halligan met former president Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club, according to a statement she provided to The Washington Post.[2] Trump named her to his legal team several months later[2] amid the Federal Bureau of Investigation's investigation into his handling of government documents.[6] Halligan told Politico that she was present at Mar-a-Lago for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's search of the property.[7] She was involved in Trump v. United States, a lawsuit requesting a special master to review the material seized by the bureau in the search.[8] Halligan remained with Trump as two lawyers who worked with her resigned.[9]

Halligan's work for Trump included a defamation lawsuit against CNN that was dismissed,[10] an effort to defend his presidential eligibility amid legal contentions with the Fourteenth Amendment,[11] and an attempt to dissuade the Department of Justice from indicting Trump over his handling of classified documents.[12] Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, an Iranian hacking campaign targeted Trump advisors. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly obtained emails from Halligan, among others, and threatened to release them in July 2025.[13] Halligan reviewed draft executive orders, briefing materials, and press releases to identify "inconsistencies and potential legal risks".[14]

White House positions (January–September 2025)

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Halligan (far right) with Trump in April 2025.

After Trump's second inauguration, Halligan was appointed as the White House senior associate staff secretary,[11] and special assistant to the president.[5][15] She advocated for Trump to take action against exhibits at Smithsonian Institution museums that she saw as disparaging the United States.[2] In March, Trump signed an executive order to review exhibits at the Smithsonian's museums, naming Halligan to lead the effort.[16] She sought the removal of Amy Sherald's painting "Trans Forming Liberty", depicting a transgender African American woman as an approximation of the Statue of Liberty.[17]

Interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia

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Further information: Prosecution of James Comey and Prosecution of Letitia James

In September 2025, Erik Siebert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, resigned after refusing to bring criminal cases against either Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, or James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[18] After Siebert's dismissal, Boris Epshteyn, a Trump aide, approached Halligan about taking the position.[19] On September 20, Trump announced that he would nominate Halligan—who has no prosecutorial experience—to succeed Siebert.[20] According to The New York Times, attorney general Pam Bondi and deputy attorney general Todd Blanche questioned her viability for the role given her lack of experience.[19] Two days later, Halligan was sworn in as the interim U.S. attorney,[21] after which she resigned as staff secretary.[22]

Halligan intended to ask a grand jury to indict Comey, despite an internal memorandum arguing that she should not bring charges against him.[15] On September 25, with only days remaining before the five-year statute of limitations would have expired, Halligan signed Comey's indictment.[19] In October, Halligan indicted James for alleged mortgage fraud.[23] On October 20, Comey's attorneys filed a motion for dismissal, alleging that Halligan's interim appointment was carried out in violation of federal law.[24][25]

As an interim U.S. attorney, Halligan emphasized a strict zero-tolerance policy on the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information at the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.[26] In October 2025, Lawfare reporter Anna Bower published a Signal exchange, in which Halligan raised complaints about the media's coverage and characterization of the James indictment.[27] Days later, James filed a request with the judge in charge of her case, seeking to bar federal prosecutors from speaking with the media about evidence in the case, arguing that this was needed in order to ensure a fair trial.[28][29] At the end of that month, Attorney General Bondi retroactively appointed Halligan as a "special attorney" to dispel doubt about the legitimacy of Halligan's initial appointment as a federal prosecutor.[30]

In November, a federal judge, Cameron McGowan Currie, heard Comey's and James's challenges to the legality of Halligan's appointment.[31] Days later, a magistrate judge, William E. Fitzpatrick, found that Halligan may have committed misconduct by falsely stating that the Fifth Amendment precluded Comey from refusing to testify at his trial. Fitzpatrick added that Halligan had told jurors that the Department of Justice had additional evidence that would be revealed at trial and noted the discrepancy between the indictment presented and the indictment approved by the grand jury.[32] Halligan later told judge Michael S. Nachmanoff that the foreperson in the grand jury proceedings for the Comey case had approved a second version of the indictment that had not been seen by the grand jury.[33]

On November 24, Currie ruled that Halligan's appointment was unlawful, resulting in her disqualification as U.S. attorney, and dismissed the charges against Comey and James. The Trump administration stated its intention to appeal the ruling that day.[34] Halligan continued serving as late as December, to the dismay of several judges, who consider Halligan to be disqualified from overseeing cases.[35]

Notes

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  1. ^ In November 2025, a federal judge ruled that Halligan's appointment was unlawful. The Trump administration intends to appeal the ruling.

References

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  1. ^ "Who's new". Evening Express. Portland, Maine. August 7, 1989. p. 27. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Judkis, Maura (April 21, 2025). "She told Trump the Smithsonian needs changing. He's ordered her to do it". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  3. ^ Troy, Ryan (June 11, 2012). "RLife Live at Eden Roc". World Red Eye. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  4. ^ Arnsdorf, Isaac; Dawsey, Josh; Leonnig, Carol; Alemany, Jacqueline; Helderman, Rosalind (August 16, 2022). "Trump is rushing to hire seasoned lawyers — but he keeps hearing 'No'". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Lanard, Noah; Friedman, Dan (September 24, 2025). "The Wildly Unqualified Lawyer Trump Just Named to Prosecute His Enemies". Mother Jones. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  6. ^ Rizzo, Salvador (September 22, 2025). "Trump adviser named interim U.S. attorney in key Virginia office". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  7. ^ McGraw, Meridith; Ward, Myah (August 9, 2022). "Federal agents took about a dozen boxes from Mar-a-Lago, Trump lawyer says". Politico. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  8. ^ Gerstein, Josh; Cheney, Kyle (August 22, 2022). "Trump files suit demanding special master in Mar-a-Lago search case". Politico. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  9. ^ Legare, Robert; Quinn, Melissa (June 9, 2023). "Aileen Cannon, Trump-appointed judge, assigned initially to oversee documents case". CBS News. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  10. ^ Gurman, Sadie; Barber, C. Ryan (September 21, 2025). "Trump Pushes Attorney General Pam Bondi to Prosecute Political Foes". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Feuer, Alan (September 22, 2025). "Trump's Pick to Replace Ousted U.S. Attorney Lacks Prosecutorial Experience". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  12. ^ Gurman, Sadie; Barber, C. Ryan (June 5, 2023). "Trump Lawyers Seek to Persuade Justice Department Not to Indict Former President". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  13. ^ Falconer, Rebecca (July 1, 2025). "Iran-linked hackers threaten to release emails stolen from Trump associates". Axios. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  14. ^ Small, Zachary (August 19, 2025). "Who's in Charge of Trump's Cultural Realignment? Here Are Key Players". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Faulders, Katherine; Mallin, Alexander; Charalambous, Peter; Barr, Luke (September 24, 2025). "Newly appointed US attorney will attempt to charge James Comey despite prosecutors finding no probable cause: Sources". ABC News. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  16. ^ McGrady, Clyde (May 6, 2025). "Trump's Order to Sanitize Black History Meets Institutional Resistance". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  17. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (July 24, 2025). "Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  18. ^ Feuer, Alan; Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie; Barrett, Devlin (September 20, 2025). "Trump Demands That Bondi Move 'Now' to Prosecute Foes". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan; Pager, Tyler (September 27, 2025). "Inside the Trump Administration's Push to Prosecute James Comey". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  20. ^ Cheney, Kyle (September 22, 2025). "Bondi taps Trump's former personal attorney as a top federal prosecutor". Politico. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  21. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Thrush, Glenn (September 22, 2025). "Trump's Handpicked Prosecutor Takes Over Comey and James Cases". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  22. ^ Wang, Amy; Judkis, Maura (September 27, 2025). "Who is Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney prosecuting James Comey?". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  23. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Bromwich, Jonah (October 9, 2025). "N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James Indicted After Trump's Pressure Campaign". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  24. ^ Roebuck, Jeremy; Stein, Perry; Rizzo, Salvador (October 20, 2025). "Comey lawyers move to dismiss case, first battle in the prosecution". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  25. ^ Feuer, Alan (October 20, 2025). "Comey Attacks Charges as Vindictive and Prosecutor as Improperly Named". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  26. ^ Leonnig, Carol (October 16, 2025). "Inside Trump's DOJ: Punitive firings, public scoldings and pressure to prosecute foes". MSNBC. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  27. ^ Suter, Tara (October 21, 2025). "Lindsey Halligan sends multiple texts to legal reporter". The Hill. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  28. ^ Cole, Devan; Gannon, Casey; Scannell, Kara (October 23, 2025). "NY AG Letitia James to ask for her case to be dismissed due to appointment of Lindsey Halligan". CNN. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  29. ^ Walsh, Joe (October 23, 2025). "Letitia James blasts prosecutor in criminal case for 'unusual and improper' conversation with journalist". CBS News. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  30. ^ Monyak, Suzanne (November 3, 2025). "Bondi Gives Top Prosecutor New Title in Comey, James Challenges". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  31. ^ Feuer, Alan (November 13, 2025). "Comey and James Challenge Appointment of Trump Loyalist Prosecuting Them". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  32. ^ Feuer, Alan (November 17, 2025). "Judge Says Justice Dept. May Have Committed Misconduct in Comey Case". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  33. ^ Feuer, Alan; Barrett, Devlin (November 19, 2025). "Trump Loyalist Admits Grand Jury Never Saw Final Comey Indictment". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  34. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh; Kanu, Hassan (November 24, 2025). "Comey, James cases dismissed as judge disqualifies interim US attorney Lindsey Halligan". Politico. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  35. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Bromwich, Jonah (December 5, 2025). "Halligan Continues as U.S. Attorney, Prompting Criticism From Judges". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
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