President Donald Trump is pressing to get Lindsey Halligan confirmed as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, weeks after criminal cases against his foes James Comey and Letitia James were dismissed because of Halligan’s involvement in their prosecutions.
But her nomination faces a likely fatal obstacle from the tradition of so-called blue slips, which Republican senators refuse to abandon despite Trump’s demands.
Halligan on Wednesday submitted a 28-page questionnaire to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for vetting U.S. attorney picks. It was the first action on her nomination since Trump formally sent it to the Senate on Sept. 30.
The questionnaire was sent more than two weeks after a federal judge disqualified her from serving as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District because of the nature of her appointment to that role.
“She’s the president’s nominee. It is our hope that she is confirmed and submitting her questionnaire is part of that process,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNBC.
