In a significant shake-up at the Virginia US attorney’s office, a prominent Trump supporter has made a decisive move by ousting a senior Justice Department official who briefly served as the interim leader. Lindsey Halligan, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, has begun to assert her dominion over the office after being personally selected by Trump for the position on September 20.

This transition follows the resignation of Erik Siebert, the Trump-appointed US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Siebert stepped down amid pressure from Trump, who was dissatisfied with Siebert’s refusal to indict former FBI director James Comey. In the interim, Maggie Cleary, a seasoned career prosecutor, was appointed to temporarily fill the vacancy.

Halligan’s appointment brought a new dynamic to the office, with Cleary and her colleagues opposing Halligan’s decision to proceed with the Comey case. During grand jury proceedings, Cleary’s choice to sit in the back row, rather than at the government table, starkly highlighted the internal discord. Now, according to CNN, Cleary has been completely removed from the office. It remains uncertain whether she has been reassigned within the Justice Department or if her departure signifies a total severance from the agency.

Her departure comes amid mass changes in the department since Halligan took over. Two other long term prosecutors, Michael Ben’Ary and Maya Song, were fired after Halligan charged Comey.

Ben’Ary taped a note to the door of his office as he was leaving which accused Justice Department leadership of being ‘more concerned with punishing the president’s perceived enemies than they are with protecting our national security.’

Comey’s son-in-law Troy Edwards Jr. also resigned from the office. Comey is accused of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding back in 2020. He maintains his innocence. ‘My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump,’ Comey said after his indictment. A source told CNN Halligan intends to move prosecutors along who may oppose her work in targeting high-profile cases.

She is also involved in the case against former New York Attorney General Leticia James (pictured). James is accused of mortgage fraud relating to paperwork discrepancies on her Brooklyn townhouse and a Virginia home. James’ lawyers have vigorously denied any allegations and characterized the investigation as an act of political revenge.

Cleary was a stalwart of Republican administrations in Virginia before joining the federal prosecutors office in 2025. After Halligan took over, Cleary was appointed what was essentially the next best prosecutor’s job, serving under Halligan, who had no criminal trial experience but previously served as Trump’s personal attorney.

Trump announced via social media he was nominating Halligan as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, writing that she ‘will be Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!’ Halligan served as one of his attorneys in the early days of the FBI’s investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.