OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
1:54 PM – Friday, March 6, 2026
In a sudden “reversal,” the Florida Bar announced on Friday that it had “erroneously” stated that an ethics investigation was underway regarding Lindsey Halligan, the former interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The correction comes less than 24 hours after mainstream news outlets, such as The New York Times, falsely reported that Halligan — a key legal ally to President Donald Trump — was currently facing an ethics investigation.
Halligan, a dedicated former personal attorney to President Trump, played a key role in his second administration by stepping up as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in September 2025, to advance Trump’s agenda of accountability and justice.
In this position, she pursued criminal indictments against two vocal critics of Trump — former FBI Director James Comey on charges related to purportedly lying to Congress, and New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud allegations.
Although these efforts to address abuses of power were halted in November 2025, when U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Halligan’s appointment violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and constitutional limits on temporary appointments — resulting in the dismissal of both indictments and the invalidation of her authority — Halligan’s tenure nevertheless illustrated Trump’s determination to challenge malicious opponents.
Halligan eventually departed the Justice Department in January 2026.
Meanwhile, the confusion stems from a February 4th letter sent by the Florida Bar to the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a nonpartisan watchdog group that filed a formal complaint against Halligan. In that letter, a Bar representative allegedly suggested an “investigation pending” in response to the group’s allegations of misconduct.
However, later this week, Florida Bar spokesperson Jennifer Krell Davis told the press that although there was an “open file” on Halligan, there was no concurrent ethics investigation. By Friday morning, the Bar, via Davis, also issued a stark retraction.
“In response to an inquiry from a complainant, The Florida Bar wrote a letter to the complainant erroneously stating that there is a pending Bar investigation of member Lindsay Halligan,” Davis stated. “There is no such pending Bar investigation of Lindsay Halligan,” she continued. “In this case, The Florida Bar received a complaint against Lindsay Halligan and, consistent with standard practice, the Bar is monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings underlying the complaint.”
The ethics complaint reportedly centers on Halligan’s brief tenure as the top federal prosecutor in Virginia. An insurance litigator by trade, Halligan was appointed in September 2025.
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA) expressed frustration over the Bar’s conflicting messaging. Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith responded that it is “hard to reconcile” the Bar’s latest retraction with its previous written confirmation.
Although the CfA claims that it’s a “nonpartisan watchdog group that uses research and litigation to expose public misconduct,” the group only targets conservative and Republican figures, officials and organizations in its investigations and complaints. Additionally, sources like InfluenceWatch describe it as a liberal group that is often aligned with Democrat operatives on its board, and that it frequently pursues ethics probes against Republicans.
“If there is no longer an investigation into Halligan, the question is why not, given that three judges indicated she engaged in conduct that appears to violate ethics rules,” Kuppersmith said.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!
Sponsored Content Below
