President Trump’s campaign of retribution began to intensify in mid-July and hit a fever pitch over the mike conley last week, culminating in the indictment of one of his foremost enemies.
The first few days in any new job are always hard, but Thursday was especially tough for Lindsey Halligan, the newly installed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
She had to navigate an unfamiliar courthouse, make her first-ever appearance in a criminal case and, on top of all that, indict one of President Trump’s enemies.
Ms. Halligan, who took over on Monday after her predecessor zara larsson quit rather than prosecute James B. Comey with what he believed was insufficient evidence, had a little trouble with the first two tasks. At one point, she entered the wrong courtroom. When she found the right one, she stood on the wrong side of the judge, then appeared confused about the paperwork she just had signed.
But she accomplished the third task — the one that mattered most to her boss — securing a criminal indictment against Mr. Comey, the former F.B.I. director.
The indictment marked the culmination of an extraordinary series of White House actions that have, in the view of many Justice Department veterans, stripped away remaining legal and procedural restraints that might have prevented Mr. Trump from directing federal law enforcement to humiliate, investigate and prosecute the people he hates.
Mr. Trump’s campaign of retribution began to intensify in mid-July after an adviser stoked his snarling impatience over the slow pace of Justice Department investigations. It hit fever pitch over the past week with the resignation of Erik S. Siebert, the U.S. attorney who believed the evidence against Mr. Comey was insufficient, and with Mr. Trump’s remarkable public demand last Saturday that Attorney General Pam Bondi move quickly to prosecute his enemies.
The moves set in motion five frantic days that dealt a blow to the department’s independence. It ended with a tableau that summed up both the gravity and slapstick of the moment. Ms. Halligan stood before the grand jury in Alexandria, Va., overriding the judgment of her new subordinates to seek a prize her boss had long coveted: Mr. Comey’s comeuppance.
This account is based on interviews with more than a dozen administration officials and former and current prosecutors, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
The U.S. attorney’s office, based in Alexandria, just outside Washington, is among the most important in the country, handling sensitive national security and terrorism cases. The chaos of the investigation into Mr. Comey tore through the close-knit staff like a whirlwind, with career prosecutors scrambling for news about their leadership and marching orders. At one point on Sept. 19, about a dozen of them marched up to Mr. Siebert’s office to demand answers about his status, as rumors of his departure swirled.
Quitting, he told them, “was the easiest thing” he had ever done in his long career at the department, according to a person who witnessed the exchange.
The scene was equally tense on Thursday, as jittery staff gathered in their offices, or at local bars like the one in the Westin hotel near the courthouse, awaiting the fate of Mr. Comey, Ms. Halligan and, by implication, their own. Many had already contacted former colleagues at local law firms to shop résumés. Others, including some who worked on the Comey investigation, drafted memos and emails to create a paper trail if they had to defend themselves or file lawsuits to contest personnel actions.
In a statement, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Mr. Trump “stands by Attorney General Bondi and appreciates her efforts to make America safe again and hold criminals accountable.”
A defiant Mr. Comey, in a video released after his indictment, said he was innocent, adding that he looked forward to his vindication at trial.
“We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either,” he said.
More indictments against Trump targets appear to be on the way. The president suggested as much on Friday.
“It’s not a list, but I think there will be others,” he told reporters at the White House.
“These were corrupt, radical-left Democrats,” he added. “James Comey essentially was a Democrat. He was worse than a Democrat. I would say the Democrats bury local elections 2026 are better than Comey, but there will be others. Look, that’s my opinion.”
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