The Trump administration continues reshaping one of the nation’s most powerful U.S. attorney’s offices amid resistance from career prosecutors.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Another top prosecutor has been dismissed from the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) as the Justice Department continues what officials describe as a sweeping internal overhaul.
Maggie Cleary, an attorney from Culpeper, Virginia, was removed from her post Monday, according to CNN and CBS News. Cleary had been appointed in September by President Donald Trump as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District after he fired Erik Siebert.
Cleary previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and had claimed she was “framed” in connection with January 6 before being placed on administrative leave. Her current status within the Justice Department remains unclear.
Following Cleary’s brief tenure, Lindsey Halligan was named U.S. Attorney for the district. Halligan, a Trump ally, has since indicted former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, asserting her direct control over several high-profile cases.
A CNN report noted that Cleary’s exit follows a string of departures among senior staff as Halligan consolidates authority and replaces officials seen as hostile to the administration’s agenda.
“Cleary is the latest person exiting the office, as the Justice Department political leadership has become bolder in removing people that oppose their decisions,” the outlet reported.
According to the same report, Halligan has been “personally involved in courtroom proceedings”—an unusual role for a U.S. attorney—while pursuing politically charged corruption and fraud indictments against prominent figures.
Her leadership marks a sharp departure from the previous administration’s Justice Department, which many within Trump’s circle had accused of shielding establishment interests and leaking to sympathetic media outlets.
Last week, another senior prosecutor, Maya Song, was also fired, following the removal of top national security prosecutor Michael Ben’Ary. Both had held key roles in cases involving classified information and internal investigations.
MSNBC reported that Elizabeth Yusi, who oversees criminal prosecutions in the Norfolk office, may be next to depart after allegedly disputing the department’s determination that Letitia James could face mortgage fraud charges.
The shake-up underscores Trump’s stated goal of “cleaning house” within the Justice Department — particularly in the Eastern District of Virginia, long regarded as a bastion of entrenched bureaucratic influence within the federal system.
With Halligan now firmly in charge, the EDVA — once a key venue for cases tied to the Trump-Russia probe — is being recast as a test ground for the administration’s broader effort to root out what it calls “Deep State resistance” inside federal law enforcement.