Overview
- Robert McBride, the No. 2 prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, was fired after he declined to lead a renewed case against James Comey, according to multiple reports citing people familiar with the decision.
- Justice Department leaders backed McBride’s removal, and reporting says Halligan learned he had met privately with judges without her knowledge, conduct some sources said was viewed as undermining the administration.
- In a new brief, the department—through Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Lindsey Halligan—accused Judge David Novak of a “gross abuse of power” for questioning Halligan’s continued use of the U.S. Attorney title.
- Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled in November that Halligan was unlawfully appointed and dismissed the Comey and Letitia James indictments; the department has appealed those dismissals.
- Prospects for re-prosecution remain dim, with Currie noting the Comey statute of limitations expired on September 30, 2025, and grand juries having declined to reindict James, as EDVA judges continue to scrutinize filings that bear Halligan’s title.