Donald Trump's US attorneys, unvetted by the Senate, move full steam ahead

Source: Politico

09/26/2025 05:13 PM EDT


President Donald Trump has just two Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys in place. That hasn’t stopped him from leaning on unvetted and newly minted prosecutors to harness the power of the Justice Department against his political enemies.

In the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump personal attorney who has never prosecuted a case, on Thursday secured the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey three days after Trump ousted an experienced prosecutor to install Halligan on a temporary basis.

In the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone, also a first-time prosecutor, is investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James, another Trump foe. Sarcone is serving in the U.S. attorney role indefinitely without Senate confirmation because Trump used a procedural maneuver to keep him there even after district judges, empowered to appoint temporary federal prosecutors, declined to name him to the post.

And in New Jersey, another former Trump personal attorney with no previous prosecutorial experience, Alina Habba, is prosecuting a Democratic member of Congress who was attempting to conduct an oversight visit at an immigration detention center. Habba, too, is serving as U.S. attorney indefinitely without Senate confirmation, although the legitimacy of her authority is being challenged. Around the country, nearly all of Trump’s U.S. attorney nominees have been unable to receive confirmation by the Senate.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/26/donald-trump-us-attorneys-senate-confirmation-00583005