Trump Fires Top Prosecutor Who Refused to Go After James Comey

The Department of Justice has fired the top prosecutor who refused to take up the mantle of President Donald Trump’s revenge case against James Comey.

Robert McBride, who had been serving as a top deputy at the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia under Lindsey Halligan, reportedly declined a request to manage the case against the former FBI director, multiple people told MS Now Monday.

In November, a judge found that Halligan, who had been personally installed by Trump despite lacking any prosecutorial experience, was improperly appointed. Her cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were tossed out.

As Halligan’s appointment fell under increased scrutiny, McBride took on a more prominent role in running the office, and in recent days, he was asked to take over the case against Comey. But he reportedly told top Justice officials that he already had enough on his plate.

One source familiar with McBride’s removal told MS Now that Halligan had learned that her deputy held private meetings with federal judges in the area without notifying her. The Trump administration believed the meetings undermined their work, and the attorney general and deputy attorney general supported his removal.