Deputy AG fires interim U.S. attorney succeeding Trump loyalist hours after appointment
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- The Department of Justice fired James Hundley from his interim U.S. Attorney position for the Eastern District of Virginia shortly after federal judges unanimously appointed him to the role.
- Chief U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck had signed off on Hundley's appointment and administered his oath, but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly announced Hundley's dismissal, emphasizing that only the President can appoint U.S. Attorneys.
- Hundley's appointment followed the departure of Lindsey Halligan, a Trump loyalist who was ruled to have held the role unlawfully and had led unsuccessful politically charged cases.
- This firing is part of a broader pattern where the DOJ has removed U.S. attorneys appointed by federal judges after judges ruled that Trump-appointed interim U.S
