The Florida Bar, a regulatory body for legal professionals in the state, retracted a statement that there was an investigation into Lindsey Halligan, a former U.S. attorney under President Donald Trump.
On Friday, Jennifer Krell Davis, a spokesperson for the bar association, issued a clarification to US media, denying any investigation.
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Reports of an investigation emerged in February amid an exchange between the bar association and the Campaign for Accountability, a government watchdog.
The group had accused Halligan of violating the law’s rules of professional conduct.
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 named bar withdrew the letter and denied its accuracy. “The Florida Bar wrote a letter to the plaintiff erroneously stating that there is a pending Bar investigation,” Davis said.
The Accountability Campaign had filed a complaint against Halligan, whose brief tenure as top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia was plagued with controversy.
A brief but tumultuous mandate
Halligan, a former insurance attorney with no prior prosecutorial experience, was named acting U.S. attorney in September. Very quickly, he came under scrutiny for the use of his prosecutorial powers.
Trump had fired his predecessor, Erik Siebert, for refusing to comply with demands to impeach his critics.
But on Sept. 20, Trump posted a message on social media suggesting Halligan would be more docile.
He also identified several critics Trump would like to see impeached. Among them were New York Attorney General Letitia James, US Senator Adam Schiff and James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia? They are all very guilty, but nothing is going to be done,” Trump wrote online.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s destroying 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 mishandling of classified information.
All three defendants had publicly criticized Trump and all three characterized their prosecutions as politically motivated. Each of them pleaded not guilty.
Critics blasted Halligan’s prosecutions as a sign that Trump had eroded the Justice Department’s independence and was wielding its powers for personal purposes. Halligan had worked for Trump in a personal capacity before joining the administration.
Halligan faced increased scrutiny over his handling of criminal cases and the legality of his appointment.
In November, for example, a judge ruled that there was a “reasonable basis” to believe there had been an “intentional or reckless disregard of the law” in the Comey case, including through mishandling of evidence.
Later that month, an independent judge dismissed Comey and James’ cases, ruling that Halligan had been appointed illegally.
Typically, U.S. attorneys must be confirmed by the Senate. An interim attorney, however, can only serve for a period of 120 days.
An extension had been granted to Halligan’s predecessor, but not to Halligan herself, leading the judge to find her appointment illegal.
Halligan, however, insisted that he had the right to remain as federal prosecutor. Under pressure, he finally resigned on January 20.
Halligan receives Republican support
The now-dismissed reports of an investigation into Halligan’s conduct arose from a complaint filed about her work as a federal prosecutor.
In November, the Accountability Campaign filed complaints against Halligan with both the Virginia Bar and the Florida Bar, since she was also licensed to practice law in Florida.
In a statement, the group criticized the “lack of evidence” to justify its prosecutions of James and Comey. He also criticized Halligan for allegedly trying to influence media coverage of his cases.
“It is difficult to overstate the harm caused by Ms. Halligan’s actions,” wrote Michelle Kuppersmith, the group’s executive director.
“In addition to unfairly and vindictively inflicting direct personal harm on Mr. Comey and Ms. James, she is single-handedly undermining, perhaps irrevocably, public confidence in the impartiality of the Department of Justice.”
After the Florida Bar denied the existence of an investigation into Halligan this week, the Accountability Campaign issued another statement, questioning the reversal.
“It is difficult to reconcile this latest statement with the bar attorney’s previous letter saying there is a pending investigation,” Kuppersmith said.
“If there is no longer an investigation into Halligan, the question is why not, given that three judges have indicated that she engaged in conduct that appears to violate ethics rules.”
Republican lawmakers, however, applauded the bar’s repeal as a kind of vindication.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier had warned that he would fight any “baseless partisan attacks” against Halligan. In response to the change, he posted a single word on social media: “Good!”
Meanwhile, US Attorney General Pam Bondi took the opportunity to praise Halligan.
“The Florida Bar ‘investigation’ into Lindsey Halligan is totally fake news,” he wrote. “Lindsey not only did nothing wrong, she did a great job!”
When asked for his response to the recent change, Halligan responded defiantly.
“Where is my apology?” he reportedly asked The Associated Press.
