The Florida Bar has retracted its earlier statement that it was investigating former interim US attorney Lindsey Halligan, a Trump appointee who led failed prosecutions against two of the president's political opponents. In a statement on Friday, spokesperson Jennifer Krell Davis said the bar had "erroneously" indicated an ethics investigation was underway, clarifying that it was instead "monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings" related to a complaint filed by the Campaign for Accountability.
The confusion arose after a February letter from Florida Bar counsel Carlos A Leon to the watchdog group stated, "We already have an investigation pending." The Campaign for Accountability had complained that Halligan breached ethical rules by claiming to be a US attorney despite her appointment being ruled unlawful. A federal judge dismissed the indictments against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey in November, finding Halligan lacked legal authority to prosecute.
Halligan, primarily an insurance litigator and personal lawyer to Trump, had no prosecutorial experience when she was appointed in September. Her predecessor was forced out after declining to charge James and Comey. The Trump administration argued it could make consecutive interim appointments, but the judge ruled that Halligan's appointment was unlawful because her predecessor had already served the 120-day limit, leaving federal judges with exclusive authority to name the US attorney.
Michelle Kuppersmith, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability, expressed skepticism over the Florida Bar's reversal. "If there is no longer an investigation into Halligan, the question is why not," she said, citing court findings that "indicated she engaged in conduct that appears to violate ethics rules." The Florida Bar's initial letter had suggested an investigation was pending, but the organisation now says it is merely monitoring the case.
