Washington Lindsey Halligan, the former interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is currently under investigation by the Florida Bar. This development was confirmed in a letter from the organization obtained by CBS News.
Halligan previously led cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both cases were ultimately dismissed after a federal judge ruled that Halligan’s appointment to the post was unlawful and violated the Constitution.
The investigation follows complaints filed by the nonprofit organization Campaign for Accountability, which raised concerns about Halligan’s conduct during the Comey and James investigations. According to a letter from the Florida Bar, these complaints prompted the ongoing probe.
Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of Campaign for Accountability, told CBS News, “We filed a complaint pretty fulsomely outlining all the ways that we thought her conduct around Mr. Comey and Ms. James’ investigations had violated the professional rules of conduct both of Virginia and Florida.”
The first complaint was submitted to the Virginia and Florida Bars in November. However, the Virginia State Bar responded that it could not initiate a disciplinary investigation based on “potential violations” without a court determination, such as sanctions for false statements or a criminal charge and conviction against Halligan.
In a related legal ruling, U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie decided in November that Halligan’s appointment violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and federal law governing U.S. attorney vacancies. Because of this, Currie ordered the dismissal of the criminal cases against Comey and James.
The Justice Department has appealed Judge Currie’s decision but has not requested a stay to pause the ruling while the appeal is considered.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in January that Halligan had departed the Justice Department after a federal judge barred her from referring to herself as a U.S. attorney in court filings. The judge found that Halligan’s continued use of the title ignored a “binding court order” disqualifying her from the position in 2025.
Following Halligan’s exit, Kuppersmith filed a second complaint with the Virginia and Florida Bars in February. This complaint reiterated the request for an investigation into whether Halligan had violated professional conduct rules now that she was no longer serving as U.S. Attorney.
Shortly after, the Florida Bar responded, stating, “We are aware of these developments and have been monitoring them closely. We already have an investigation pending.” Halligan was included on the correspondence.
The probe by the Florida Bar coincides with a recent proposal by the Justice Department to allow the attorney general to review state bar investigations into alleged misconduct by its lawyers.
Kuppersmith commented, “That is part of what prompted us to make this public, because we want to encourage state bars to continue doing their duty where they see fit.”
A communications director for the Florida Bar noted, “The Florida Bar does not provide comment on active cases.”
Halligan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lindsey-halligan-under-investigation-florida-bar/
