Newly appointed US attorney Lindsey Halligan announced on Thursday that former FBI director James Comey has been indicted on obstruction and perjury charges over his 2020 Senate testimony.Halligan described the indictment as a question of accountability, calling it “a breach of public trust at an extraordinary level” and stressing that “no one is above the law,” as cited by Fox News. Halligan succeeded Erik Siebert, who stepped down last week after reportedly telling Justice Department officials that there was insufficient evidence to charge Comey or New York Attorney General Letitia James.Comey has been charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements. The indictment comes just days after former US president Donald Trump urged attorney general Pam Bondi to bring charges against Comey and other officials.
Who is Lindsey Halligan?
Halligan was born in Portland, Maine, and grew up in Broomfield, Colorado, where she attended Catholic school. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in politics and broadcast journalism from Regis University in Denver, where she became friends with future colleague Erika Kirk.During her college years, Halligan competed in the Miss Colorado pageant, reaching the semi-finals in 2009 and placing third runner-up in 2010, as cited by the Independent. After earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 2013, Halligan became a partner at the Fort Lauderdale office of Cole, Scott & Kissane.Court records show that at CSK, she mainly defended insurance companies against homeowners’ lawsuits and also represented small corporate plaintiffs such as Water Dryout, Moisture Rid, and Water Restoration Guys in minor disputes, which were often settled outside of court, according to Mother Jones.Halligan first met Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in November 2021. Their conversation about her career eventually led to her joining his legal team, as reported by The Telegraph.Halligan later defended Trump on national television following the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022. In the ensuing classified documents case, District Judge Aileen Cannon reportedly rejected two of her filings for not following local procedures, directing her to the court’s website for proper submission guidance.Since then, Halligan has appeared on conservative media representing Trump and moved to Washington to serve as a senior associate staff secretary at the White House following his victory in last November’s election.