Maggie Cleary, a senior Justice Department prosecutor who briefly served as acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia before Lindsey Halligan’s appointment, has been removed from the office, according to CNN. It remains unclear whether Cleary is still employed by the department in another role.
Cleary’s exit marks the latest in a wave of firings and resignations since Halligan, a close ally of President Trump and his former personal attorney, took over last month. Halligan has asserted tight control over the office, reportedly reassigning or removing prosecutors she believes oppose her handling of politically sensitive cases, including the recent indictments of James Comey and Letitia James.
Cleary had sided with career prosecutors who objected to charging Comey and was notably seated away from the government table when Halligan presented the indictment in court. Her removal follows the resignation of former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert and the firings of Michael Ben’Ary and Maya Song, as well as the resignation of Comey’s son-in-law, prosecutor Troy Edwards Jr.
