Judge Denounces Lindsey Halligan's 'Charade' in US Attorney Standoff

The monthslong standoff between the Trump administration and the federal court in eastern Virginia escalated sharply on Tuesday, when a judge issued a scathing order criticizing President Trump’s handpicked prosecutor for what he called a “charade” of claiming to be the U.S. attorney. The pointed criticism came as judges in the Eastern District of Virginia also publicly appealed for applicants to seek the job of U.S. attorney to succeed Mr. Trump’s pick, Lindsey Halligan. For weeks, judges have pressed Ms. Halligan to explain why she continues to identify herself in court filings as the U.S. attorney, despite a ruling in November that she had been unlawfully appointed to the job. In his order, Judge David J. Novak, a Trump appointee, also warned Ms. Halligan that continuing to file court papers in which she is listed as the U.S. attorney would be “a false statement made in direct defiance of valid court orders.”