The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia — the federal office tasked with prosecuting former FBI Director James Comey — has been gutted from within. More than a half-dozen prosecutors have been demoted or pushed out, leaving the office understaffed, leaderless, and struggling to handle some of the nation’s highest-profile cases.
A Crusade With Consequences
President Trump has made no secret of his desire to see Comey prosecuted. Comey, who served as FBI director until Trump fired him in 2017, became a prime target after the FBI opened an investigation into potential ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Once Trump returned to office in 2025, that desire became policy.
Two indictments of Comey have already been pursued — and both have been thrown out by judges. The first accused Comey of lying to Congress in 2018 about FBI leaks. It was dismissed after a federal judge ruled the Trump-installed U.S. attorney who brought the case had been unlawfully appointed. The second, stemming from a social media photo Comey posted showing seashells arranged to spell “86 47” — which some interpreted as a veiled threat against the 47th president — now faces the same legal challenge. Comey has denied wrongdoing and is fighting the charges.
Prosecutors Pushed Out One by One
The political fallout has systematically dismantled the Eastern District of Virginia office. U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert — a respected conservative who had earned praise from White House officials for his work on immigration enforcement — was forced to resign in September 2025 after determining there was insufficient evidence to charge Comey. Trump responded on social media: “He didn’t quit, I fired him!”
Siebert’s deputy, Maya Song, was then demoted and later pushed out of the department entirely. The head of the office’s criminal division was also demoted. That critical position remains vacant months later. Prosecutors who stayed voluntarily left, unwilling to be assigned to cases they believed were politically motivated.
Trump then installed Lindsey Halligan — a close ally with no prior prosecutorial experience — to run the office. Halligan personally presented the Comey case to a grand jury and secured two indictments. But a federal judge dismissed both, ruling Halligan had been unlawfully appointed. She was later forced out when the district’s federal judges moved to replace her. The judges unanimously selected a replacement U.S. attorney, but Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche immediately fired him. The office remains leaderless today.
A Terrorism Case in the Crossfire
The damage extends beyond leadership. Michael Ben’Ary, who ran the office’s national security division, was fired after a right-wing influencer falsely accused him of pushing back against the Comey prosecution — despite having no involvement in the case whatsoever. Before being fired, Ben’Ary taped a scorching letter to his office door warning that his abrupt departure could hurt the office’s most important open terrorism case.
That case involved Mohammad Sharifullah, the alleged mastermind behind the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghans. In late April, a jury convicted Sharifullah on a terrorism offense but deadlocked on whether he played a direct role in the Abbey Gate attack itself — a significant setback in one of Trump’s highest-profile terrorism prosecutions.
The Cost of Political Prosecutions
Former DOJ Public Integrity Section chief John Keller — who resigned after refusing Trump administration demands to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams — put it plainly: “Criminal investigations and prosecutions based on political vendettas delegitimize law enforcement. For career prosecutors who have spent their lives seeking to promote justice through impartial apolitical enforcement, this new era is offensive and demoralizing.”
Former prosecutor Jonathan Kravis echoed the concern. “There are both short-term and long-term costs,” Kravis said. “The department and FBI lose some credibility. That’s credibility with grand juries or juries. And the FBI’s credibility with sources and in interviews — it’s not just this case, it extends into other cases.”
What This Means for Americans
The Eastern District of Virginia isn’t just any federal office. It handles terrorism cases, national security prosecutions, and some of the most consequential federal matters in the country. When experienced career prosecutors are fired or flee, real cases suffer real consequences. The deadlocked Abbey Gate verdict is one stark example. Sources say the DOJ is now weighing a third indictment of Comey — meaning this is far from over. The question every American should be asking: is the pursuit of one political enemy worth hollowing out the institution responsible for keeping the country safe?
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