Overview
- Robert McBride, the first assistant in the Eastern District of Virginia, was removed after telling senior officials he would not take over a renewed prosecution of James Comey, according to multiple reports citing anonymous sources.
- Justice Department leadership supported the decision and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys processed the firing, outlets reported.
- Sources also say Halligan learned McBride met privately with federal judges in the district, with some alleging he sought a court appointment to the top job.
- A federal judge ruled in November that Halligan was unlawfully appointed, leading to the dismissal of her indictments of Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- The department is appealing that ruling, but judges have curtailed efforts to restart the Comey case, grand juries have declined to reindict James, and the statute of limitations further complicates any Comey reprosecution.