Overview
- Lawfare’s Anna Bower published screenshots showing interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan texted her for roughly 33 hours about the Letitia James case before trying to declare the exchange off the record.
- The Justice Department authenticated the Signal messages and a spokesperson criticized Bower’s reporting in statements provided to Lawfare and other outlets.
- Ethics and legal experts offered split assessments, with some calling the outreach risky or inexperienced conduct and others saying the texts revealed no clear breach of rules or grand jury secrecy.
- Halligan, a former Trump lawyer installed after Erik Siebert’s departure, is leading politically sensitive prosecutions that include indictments of New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
- Comey’s lawyers moved to dismiss his case this week in part by challenging Halligan’s appointment, while no Office of Professional Responsibility review of the texting episode has been announced and Halligan remains in her post.