The Department of Justice must never be a political weapon—but that is exactly what Donald Trump has turned it into. The recent indictments of New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey are not acts of justice; they are acts of vengeance, carried out by someone who may not even hold her office lawfully.
When career prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia refused to bring Trump’s demanded charges against his perceived enemies, U.S. Attorney Erik Seibert resigned rather than participate in political prosecutions. Trump replaced him with Lindsey Halligan—a personal aide and former lawyer who lacks prosecutorial experience and whose appointment appears to violate federal law.
Under 28 U.S.C. § 546, interim U.S. Attorneys can only serve for 120 days, after which the judges of the district court—not the president—must appoint a replacement. Legal experts across the spectrum, from National Review to Law & Crime, have said Halligan’s appointment “seems highly doubtful” to be valid. Senator Tim Kaine has publicly warned that her service exceeds the lawful term, making her actions—and her indictments—potentially invalid.
Halligan’s illegal appointment is not a technicality. It’s a symptom of Trump’s broader corruption of the Department of Justice. By installing a loyalist to file baseless charges against his critics, he has undermined the rule of law, perverted the DOJ’s independence, and endangered the constitutional separation of powers that protects every American from tyranny.
Letitia James said, “Faith and fear cannot share the same space.” Nor can freedom and corruption. Congress must now act to restore faith in our system by:
• Investigating Lindsey Halligan’s appointment under § 546 and the 120-day limit for interim U.S. Attorneys.
• Demanding her immediate removal if her appointment is found unlawful.
• Passing legislation to prevent any president from re-appointing an expired interim attorney as a way to skirt judicial oversight.
• Holding hearings into the misuse of the DOJ to pursue political vendettas.
If this corruption goes unchecked, every indictment in America risks being seen as political. The independence of justice itself is at stake. Please defend it before this abuse becomes our new normal.
First sent on October 10 by Coleman
