DOJ fires US attorney hours after judges appoint him
The federal bench in the Eastern District of Virginia last Friday chose James W. Hundley to serve as the interim U.S. attorney in the district. Two hours after Mr. Hundley was appointed, he was abruptly fired in a social media post by Todd Blanche, the No. 2 official in the Justice Department. (Briglia Hundley Photo)
The drama continued at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday when, just hours after he was appointed interim U.S. attorney, veteran defense lawyer James W. Hundley was fired. The office is considered a high-profile prestigious location particularly known for top-notch prosecutors handling national security cases, but has of late received public scrutiny for a series of losses and confusion over who is in charge.
Hannah Lauck, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, administered the oath of office after Hundley was unanimously appointed, according to a court statement released Friday evening. A few hours later, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X that Hundley had been fired.
“Here we go again,” Blanche wrote. “EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!”
Hundley would have succeeded Lindsey Halligan, a Trump administration lawyer who left the post on Jan. 20, weeks after a federal judge ruled that her appointment had been improper. Halligan, an insurance attorney with no experience prosecuting federal criminal cases, pursued indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and Letitia James, the New York attorney general. Both cases were ultimately dismissed. Since Halligan’s departure, it’s been unclear who is left in charge.
Federal law allows judges to appoint a U.S. attorney if no presidential nominee has been confirmed within 120 days and there is no lawfully serving interim pick serving in the role. Blanche and other top Justice Department officials say that the president and the attorney general should pick the interim U.S. attorney when there is no Senate-confirmed nominee.
Neither the Justice Department nor EDVA immediately returned requests for comment.
Hundley told the ABA Journal it was a honor to have been appointed. “I’ve been practicing law in Virginia for many years and have always held the Court and the United States Attorney’s Office in the highest regard,” he said. “I would have welcomed the opportunity to support the attorneys and the staff of this outstanding Office as well as the law enforcement officers they work with. The difficult work they do on a daily basis to protect our community is critically important. Despite my dismissal by the President, I will continue to support our country and its justice system in any way I can.”
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