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10-03-2026
TALLAHASSEE: The Florida Bar, a regulatory body for legal professionals in the state, has walked back a statement indicating there was an investigation into Lindsey Halligan, a former United States attorney under President Donald Trump.
On Friday, Jennifer Krell Davis, a spokesperson for the bar association, issued a clarification to US media, denying any probe.
Reports of an investigation emerged in February amid an exchange between the bar and the Campaign for Accountability, a government watchdog.
The group had accused Halligan of violating standards for professional conduct in law.
A letter from the Florida Bar acknowledged that the bar had been “monitoring” concerns about Halligan’s work in the Trump administration. “We already have an investigation pending,” the February letter said but in Friday’s statement, the bar called withdrew the letter and denied its accuracy. “The Florida Bar wrote a letter to the complainant erroneously stating that there is a pending bar investigation,” Davis said.
The Campaign for Accountability had filed a complaint against Halligan, whose short tenure as the top attorney for the eastern district of Virginia was riddled with controversy.
A former insurance lawyer with no previous prosecutorial experience, Halligan was appointed as interim US attorney in September. Very quickly, she came under scrutiny for her use of prosecutorial powers.
Trump had fired her predecessor, Erik Siebert, for refusing to comply with demands to indict his critics but on September 20, Trump posted a message to social media suggesting that Halligan would be more compliant.
It also identified several critics Trump would like to see charged. They included New York Attorney General Letitia James, US Senator Adam Schiff and James Comey, the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,” Trump wrote online.
“We can’t delay any longer, its killing our reputation and credibility.”
Five days later, Halligan filed the first of three criminal indictments against Trump’s critics.
Comey was charged on September 25 with making false statements to Congress and obstructing official proceedings. Then, on October 9, James faced charges of bank fraud and making false statements.
Finally, on October 16, Halligan filed the third indictment, against Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton, alleging the mishandling of classified information.
All three defendants had been publicly critical of Trump, and all three characterized their prosecutions as politically motivated. They each pleaded not guilty.
Critics blasted Halligan’s prosecutions as a sign that Trump had eroded the independence of the Department of Justice and was wielding its powers for personal aims. Halligan had worked for Trump in a personal capacity prior to joining the government.
Halligan faced further scrutiny for her handling of criminal cases and the legality of her appointment.
In November, for instance, a magistrate judge ruled there was a “reasonable basis” to believe there had been a “willful or in reckless disregard of the law” in Comey’s case, including through the mishandling of evidence.
Later that month, a separate judge dismissed both Comey’s and James’s cases, ruling that Halligan had been illegally appointed. (Int’l News Desk)
