{"id":66527,"date":"2026-02-21T05:10:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T05:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-administration-fires-new-top-prosecutor-in-eastern-virginia-almost-immediately-after-he-was-hired-by-judges\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T05:10:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T05:10:44","slug":"trump-administration-fires-new-top-prosecutor-in-eastern-virginia-almost-immediately-after-he-was-hired-by-judges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/trump-administration-fires-new-top-prosecutor-in-eastern-virginia-almost-immediately-after-he-was-hired-by-judges\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration fires new top prosecutor in Eastern Virginia almost immediately after he was hired by judges"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>The conflict between the Trump administration and the judicial branch over who can lead the Justice Department&#8217;s office in the Eastern District of Virginia reached a new stage Friday, after a panel of judges appointed an interim top prosecutor \u2014 and the administration fired him soon after.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/justice-department-fires-u-s-attorney-in-new-york-hours-after-judges-picked-him-for-the-job\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">second time this month<\/a><\/span> that the administration has quickly sacked a prosecutor who was picked by federal judges, as the administration deals with several court orders asserting that its temporary U.S. attorneys were serving in their roles unlawfully.<\/p>\n<p>Judges in the Eastern District of Virginia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaed.uscourts.gov\/news\/appointment-interim-united-states-attorney-united-states-district-court-eastern-district\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">announced Friday<\/a> that they had unanimously decided to hire veteran litigator James W. Hundley to serve as interim U.S. attorney. They <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaed.uscourts.gov\/sites\/vaed\/files\/Order%20of%20Appointment%20-%20Interim%20US%20Attorney%2020FEB2026.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">cited<\/a> a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/28\/546#:~:text=120%20days%20after%20the%20date,Law%20about...\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">federal law<\/a> that allows district court judges to appoint somebody to the role if it becomes vacant because a prior interim U.S. attorney&#8217;s term had expired.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the appointment was announced \u00a0on Friday evening, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dagtoddblanche\/status\/2024993246175261137?s=46&amp;t=jXgvUCmn9aLWn50snJrI3g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">said on X<\/a>\u00a0that Hundley was fired.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Here we go again,&#8221; Blanche wrote. &#8220;EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you&#8217;re fired!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>CBS News has reached out to Hundley for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The leadership of the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has been in doubt for months, since interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/acting-us-attorney-virginia-letitia-james\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">resigned in September<\/a><\/span> after he raised concerns about the strength of the evidence following criminal investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.<\/p>\n<p>Former White House aide Lindsey Halligan was named interim U.S. attorney shortly after Siebert&#8217;s departure. Over the following weeks, the office drew nationwide attention and intense scrutiny after Halligan alone secured grand jury indictments <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/comey-case-indictment-justice-department-handling\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">for Comey<\/a><\/span> and <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/new-york-ag-letitia-james-indicted-in-virginia-after-investigation-by-trumps-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">James<\/a><\/span>, two longtime Trump foes.<\/p>\n<p>A judge <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/james-comey-case-dismissed-judge-lindsey-halligan\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">tossed out those indictments<\/a><\/span> in November, finding that Halligan had been unlawfully appointed to her role as the district&#8217;s top prosecutor. Under federal law, the role of interim U.S. attorney is limited to 120 days \u2014 and according to U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie, that clock started ticking when Siebert was appointed in January 2025. In Siebert&#8217;s case, he was allowed to stay in the role for longer, because the judges in the district extended his appointment.<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136\/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.137.0_4.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">has argued<\/a> that it has the legal right to appoint interim U.S. attorneys as it sees fit, unless the Senate refuses to confirm its appointee. But Currie said that interpretation would let the government avoid the Senate confirmation process that&#8217;s normally required for permanent U.S. attorneys by just &#8220;stacking successive 120-day appointments.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department appealed Currie&#8217;s decision.<\/p>\n<p>After that, Halligan continued to refer to herself as a U.S. attorney, sparking a dramatic back-and-forth between the government and U.S. District Judge David Novak last month.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump-appointed judge <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/lindsey-halligan-us-attorney-title-judge\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">ordered Halligan to explain<\/a><\/span> why she kept using the title. The Justice Department responded by accusing Novak of engaging in a &#8220;gross abuse of power&#8221; and attempting to use a &#8220;cudgel&#8221; against the executive branch.<\/p>\n<p>Novak <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/judge-bars-lindsey-halligan-u-s-attorney-title\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">hit back<\/a><\/span>, writing that the Justice Department&#8217;s filing &#8220;contains a level of vitriol more appropriate for a cable news talk show.&#8221; He added that Halligan could face disciplinary proceedings if she kept using the &#8220;improper moniker.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hours after Novak&#8217;s response, Attorney General Pam Bondi <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/judge-bars-lindsey-halligan-u-s-attorney-title\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">announced<\/a><\/span> that Halligan had exited the Justice Department, citing circumstances that she called &#8220;deeply misguided.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Virginia is one of at least five states where federal judges have ruled that a Trump administration-appointed temporary U.S. attorney is serving in their role unlawfully, with similar orders issued in New York, New Jersey, California and Nevada.<\/p>\n<p>Critics have accused the administration of sidestepping the Senate&#8217;s confirmation process for U.S. attorneys. But the Justice Department argues that the president and attorney general have the authority to choose their own prosecutors. In some cases, Mr. Trump has also accused Senate Democrats of obstructing his nominees.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, a panel of judges <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/justice-department-fires-u-s-attorney-in-new-york-hours-after-judges-picked-him-for-the-job\/\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">appointed somebody<\/a><\/span> to lead the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the Northern District of New York after the job was left vacant due to a court order. In a series of events similar to Friday&#8217;s, Blanche almost immediately announced the new hire had been fired.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Judges don&#8217;t pick U.S. Attorneys, [the president] does. See Article II of our Constitution,&#8221; Blanche wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  \">\n<p><h3 class=\"component__title\">More from CBS News<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"component__item-recirc-block\">\n<p><h3 class=\"component__title\">Go deeper with The Free Press<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__tags\">\n<p class=\"content__tags__label\">In:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     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the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[8564,786,1137],"class_list":["post-66527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-u-s-attorney039s-office","tag-united-states-department-of-justice","tag-virginia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Trump administration fires new top prosecutor in Eastern Virginia almost immediately after he was hired by judges - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Trump administration fired an interim top prosecutor in Eastern Virginia almost immediately after he was hired by a panel of judges, deepening the conflict between the DOJ and the judiciary in that region.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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