Overview
- Top career prosecutor Robert McBride was dismissed after he declined to lead a revived case against James Comey, with Justice Department leaders backing his removal and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys finalizing the paperwork.
- Multiple outlets report McBride also met privately with Eastern District of Virginia judges as he explored court appointment to run the office, a move viewed by Halligan’s team as undermining the administration.
- In a new filing, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Lindsey Halligan accuse U.S. District Judge David Novak of a gross abuse of power for questioning Halligan’s continued use of the U.S. attorney title and suggesting potential discipline.
- Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled in November that Halligan was unlawfully appointed, leading to the dismissal of indictments against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, and the Justice Department has appealed to the Fourth Circuit.
- Efforts to restart the dismissed cases have faltered, with grand juries declining to reindict Letitia James, a judge in Washington blocking a Comey revival attempt, and reporting indicating statute-of-limitations hurdles for the original Comey charges.