No. 2 federal prosecutor in Virginia’s Eastern District fired for declining to lead prosecution of ex-FBI Director Comey, source says

The second-highest-ranking federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia was fired Monday after refusing to help lead the investigation. Justice Department Prosecutions of former FBI Director James Comey, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Robert McBride, a former longtime federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Kentucky, had only served as first assistant U.S. attorney for a few months after joining the office in the fall. He most recently worked in private practice in Kentucky and also served in the U.S. Navy, in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, earlier in his career.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia declined to comment on the firing, which was earlier reported by MS Now.

Comey, one of President Trump’s alleged political enemies, was indicted last fall on two counts alleging he provided false testimony to Congress in September 2020.

The indictment was obtained solely by Lindsey Halligan, who was chosen by Mr. Trump to serve as acting U.S. attorney after her predecessor declined to file charges against Comey or New York Attorney General Letitia James, citing a lack of evidence.

Halligan obtained indictments against Comey and James without any involvement from career prosecutors, who declined to get involved due to weak evidence in both cases, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In November, a federal judge rejected the accusations against Comey and James, concluding that Halligan was appointed illegally. The Ministry of Justice is currently appeal this decision.

Since Halligan was disqualified from her rolethe department tried and failed twice to obtain a new indictment against James.

The case against Comey poses more legal complexities, as the statute of limitations expired less than a week after his indictment.