'Be respectful': Lindsey Halligan fires back at judge for referring to her as Trump’s ‘puppet’

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA: Interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan fumed after a federal judge sharply criticized her handling of the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey.

For context, Judge Michael Nachmanoff, a Joe Biden appointee, suggested she was acting as President Donald Trump's “puppet,” a claim the beauty-queen-turned-prosecutor rejected.

Lindsey Halligan calls out Judge Michael Nachmanoff

Lindsey Halligan said on Wednesday, November 19, that the judge overseeing James Comey’s criminal case violated judicial conduct rules by asking if she was acting as Trump’s puppet.

During a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, District Judge Michael Nachmanoff asked Comey’s defense lawyer whether he believed Halligan, who brought the indictment against the former FBI director, was serving as a “puppet” or “stalking horse” for the president.

“Personal attacks — like Judge Nachmanoff referring to me as a ‘puppet’ — don’t change the facts or the law,” Halligan said.

She argued that judicial rules require judges to "be patient, dignified, respectful, and courteous to litigants, jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and others with whom the judge deals in an official capacity" and to "act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."

“My focus remains on the record and the law, and I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities with professionalism,” Halligan, who had no prior prosecutorial experience, added.

Prosecutor Tyler Lemons defends Lindsey Halligan after the judge’s criticism

Prosecutor Tyler Lemons pushed back in court, arguing that James Comey’s lawyer was making “inferential leaps” and had “no proof” that Lindsey Halligan followed Donald Trump’s comments as a directive. “Ms Halligan was not a puppet,” Lemons said.

The Justice Department then faced another setback in the Comey case when prosecutors admitted they never showed the grand jury the final version of the indictment before the foreperson signed it.

In a startling exchange reported by CNN, Lemons explained that the DOJ brought an alternate version of the indictment for the foreperson to sign after the jury refused to approve one of the counts.

Judge Nachmanoff asked, “Am I correct that the new document was never presented to the grand jury for approval?”

Lemons replied, “I wasn’t there, but that is my understanding.” Halligan later confirmed this to the judge.

Comey’s legal team immediately seized on the revelation, arguing that it was more evidence that the charges should be dismissed. “This has to stop,” attorney Michael Dreeben told the judge. “This court is the first to confront the issue of whether a message needs to be sent to the executive branch.”