"WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would be nominating senior White House aide Lindsey Halligan to serve as the top federal prosecutor for the Virginia office that was thrown into turmoil when its U.S. attorney was pushed out Friday. In a social media post just after he departed the White House for an event at Mount Vernon, Trump wrote he was nominating Halligan as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, writing that she "will be Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!""
"The nomination would place one of the president's legal defenders in charge of an office in tumult over political pressure by administration officials to criminally charge New York Attorney General Letitia James, a longtime foe of Trump, in a mortgage fraud investigation. Erik Siebert, who had been the office's top prosecutor, resigned amid a push by Trump administration officials to bring charges in the investigation, which stems from allegations of paperwork discrepancies on James' Brooklyn townhouse and a Virginia home."
"The Justice Department has spent months investigating, and there's been no indication that prosecutors have managed to uncover any degree of incriminating evidence necessary to secure an indictment. James' lawyers have vigorously denied any allegations and characterized the investigation as an act of political revenge. Halligan has been part of Trump's legal orbit for the last several years, including serving as one of his attorneys in the early days of the FBI's investigation into Trump's retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida."
President Donald Trump nominated senior White House aide Lindsey Halligan to be U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. The office entered turmoil after its U.S. attorney, Erik Siebert, resigned amid pressure from administration officials to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James in a mortgage fraud probe. The investigation concerns alleged paperwork discrepancies involving James' Brooklyn townhouse and a Virginia home. The Justice Department has spent months investigating without uncovering evidence sufficient for an indictment. James' lawyers deny the allegations and call the probe political revenge. Halligan previously served on Trump's legal team during the Mar-a-Lago documents matter.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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