Former Trump lawyer accuses federal judge of making 'baseless accusations of lying' after departure
The interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia left her post after completing a 120-day appointment amid a legal standoff in which a federal judge questioned her authority,...
By Fox News · Fox News
The interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia left her post after completing a 120-day appointment amid a legal standoff in which a federal judge questioned her authority, declined to appoint a successor and triggered an appeal over separation of powers. Former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan announced her departure Tuesday, saying a federal judge ruled in November that her appointment was invalid and that only the district court had the authority to name an interim successor following Erik Siebert’s exit. She said the ruling led the court to treat her appointment as disqualifying, including striking her name from court filings. FEDERAL JUDGE CALLS COMEY INDICTMENT INTO QUESTION, ASKS IF HALLIGAN IS A 'PUPPET' FOR TRUMP "I was subjected to baseless accusations of lying to a tribunal and making false or misleading statements," Halligan wrote. "I was ordered to respond to sua sponte orders and to personally sign filings explaining why my name appeared on pleadings, diverting time and resources from public safety responsibilities. Assistant U.S. Attorneys were told in open court that I should resign." She said that even after declaring her appointment invalid, the district court did not take the step its own reading of the law required by appointing a new U.S. attorney to fill the role. BONDI TARGETS JAMES COMEY, LETITIA JAMES IN LEGAL BATTLE: 'HOLD...ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNLAWFUL CONDUCT' Instead, she said the court treated her as though she had been removed by striking her name from filings and declaring her appointment unlawful , while taking no action to fill what it said was an existing vacancy. "In short, the court took no action to fill the vacancy it said already existed," Halligan wrote. "The result was a vacuum: the Executive Branch was told it lacked appointment authority, and the Judiciary declined to exercise the authority it claimed was exclusively its own. That contradiction is now on appeal now on appeal." COMEY AND JAMES CHALLENGE TRUMP APPO…