Trump nominates White House aide to be top US prosecutor for office probing Letitia James

Washington – President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would name the high level of help from the White House Lindsey Halligan to serve as the best federal prosecutor for the Virginia office which was thrown into a turmoil when his American lawyer was pushed back on Friday.

In an article on social networks just after leaving the White House for an event in Mount Vernon, Trump wrote that he appointed Halligan as an American lawyer for the Oriental District of Virginia, writing that it “will be fair, intelligent and will provide, desperately necessary, justice for all!”

The announcement came while Trump pressed the Attorney General Pam Bondi to move forward with business against some of his political opponents, which is part of a vow of reprisals which was a theme of his return to the White House.

The appointment would place one of the legal defenders of the president in charge of a tumult office on political pressure by administration officials to criminal prosecutor general of New York Letitia James, a long -standing enemy of Trump, in a survey on mortgage fraud.

Erik Siebert, who had been the main prosecutor of the office, resigned in the middle of a thrust of Trump administration officials to carry accusations in the investigation, which stems from paperasal allegations on the house in town in Brooklyn de James and a house in Virginia.

The Ministry of Justice has spent months investigating and there is no indication that prosecutors have managed to discover a degree of evidence necessary to guarantee an indictment. James’ lawyers vigorously denied any allegation and characterized the investigation as an act of political revenge.

Halligan has been part of Trump’s legal orbit for several years, especially as one of his lawyers at the start of the FBI investigation into Trump detention classified documents in his Mar-A-Lago field in Florida. It has recently been enlisted in a White House effort to remove what the administration supports is an “inappropriate ideology” of Smithsonian Properties.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump posted on social networks what seemed to be somewhat an open letter to Bondi, saying that he had “examined more than 30 declarations and posts” that he described as criticizing his administration for a lack of action on investigations, including that of James’s relations. Trump’s message mentioned the former FBI director James Comey, the Trump long -standing leaf he dismissed during his first mandate in the midst of the Russian electoral interference.

The FBI recognized this summer that it was investigating Comey, which was interviewed by the secret services after an Instagram publication that the Republicans insisted on being a call to violence against Trump. Comey said he did not mean the post as a threat and deleted it once he realized how he was interpreted.

Asked by leaving the White House if he criticized Bondi, Trump said he just wanted action.

“We have to act quickly – in one way or another,” said Trump. “They are guilty, they are not guilty – we have to act quickly. If they are not guilty, that’s good. If they are guilty or if they were to be charged, they should be charged. And we have to do it now.”

By announcing the appointment of Halligan shortly after on social networks, Trump said that “was doing an excellent job”.

Halligan’s selection occurred a few hours after another conservative lawyer, Mary “Maggie” Cleary, in an email told staff she had been appointed American lawyer for the Virginie Oriental District, according to a copy referred to by the Associated Press.

“Although this meeting was unexpected, I am humiliated to join your ranks,” a conservative lawyer told Cleary who said she was wrongly accused of being at the American Capitol on January 6, 2021, to employees in email.

While Siebert declared in an email to his colleagues on Friday evening that he had submitted his resignation, Trump said in an article on social networks: “He did not resign, I dismissed him!” Trump noted that he was supported by the two State Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, adding: “Next time, let him enter as a democrat, not republican.”

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The Associated Press writer, Eric Tucker, contributed to this report.