Overview

• Michael Ben’Ary, the Eastern District of Virginia’s top national security prosecutor, was fired hours after a post by activist Julie Kelly, though sources say he had no role in the Comey case.
• Maya Song, a longtime senior official in the office, was removed days earlier by newly installed U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who replaced Erik Siebert after his ouster.
• Ben’Ary had been leading the case against Mohammad Sharifullah, an alleged ISIS-K plotter set for trial in December, raising questions about continuity in a major national-security prosecution.
• The Justice Department declined to discuss personnel actions but publicly backed Halligan, calling her an outstanding attorney with Attorney General Pam Bondi’s full support.
• A grand jury on Sept. 25 indicted former FBI Director James Comey on perjury and obstruction counts, with his initial court appearance expected next week as reports note a career-prosecutor memo had advised against charging.