"Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here." My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney
18 hours ago
- #DOJ Policies
- #High-Profile Prosecution
- #Legal Journalism
- Anna Bower, a legal journalist, receives an unexpected text from Lindsey Halligan, the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, regarding a high-profile case against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- Halligan criticizes Bower's tweets summarizing a New York Times article about grand jury testimony in the James case, claiming inaccuracies but without specifying them.
- The exchange reveals Halligan's unusual approach to communicating with the press, including using Signal with disappearing messages, and her failure to establish 'off the record' terms.
- Bower verifies Halligan's identity through a prior meeting and attempts to clarify the inaccuracies Halligan alleges, but Halligan remains vague and eventually stops responding.
- The Justice Department confirms the authenticity of the texts but defends Halligan's actions, while Halligan later claims the entire conversation was 'off the record,' a claim Bower disputes.
- The article highlights the unusual nature of a sitting U.S. attorney reaching out to a journalist to discuss an ongoing case, raising questions about DOJ policies and Halligan's conduct.