Just hours after federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia named James Hundley to lead the office, the Trump administration announced he was fired.
The judges on Friday unanimously selected Hundley, a Virginia defense attorney with more than 30 years of experience, to replace Lindsey Halligan, President Trump’s hand-picked US attorney who stepped down last month.
Shortly after the appointment, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche took to social media to announce the firing. “Here we go again. EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does,” he wrote. “James Hundley, you’re fired!”
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, who managed Trump’s social media accounts during his first term, followed up with a tweet directed at Hundley: “Check your email, James.”
