Blanche fires lawyer picked to replace Halligan as top federal prosecutor in Virginia office

"Here we go again. EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!" Blanche wrote.

Published: February 21, 2026 1:05pm

United States Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote Friday on social media that a lawyer chosen by judges to serve as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia has been fired.

"Here we go again. EDVA judges do not pick our US Attorney. POTUS does. James Hundley, you’re fired!" Blanche wrote.

Blance was responding to a post by a news reporter that said the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has "appointed James Hundley, a litigator with more than 35 years experience, as Interim U.S. Attorney, after Lindsey Halligan stepped down earlier this year following a court ruling deeming her appointment unlawful."

Harmeet Dhillon, who serves as the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, wrote "FIRED" on her personal social media account.

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