Lawyers in the Department of Justice have expressed concern that President Donald Trump's "pressure campaign" to prosecute his political enemies could put them at risk, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
Attorney General Pam Bondi swore in Lindsey Halligan, one of Trump's former defense attorneys, as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia on Monday, a move that the Journal said marked the "latest step in an escalating pressure campaign by President Trump to more aggressively target his political enemies."
The report adds that lawyers currently working in the district have become increasingly "concerned" about their jobs after the move.
"Lawyers who work in the Virginia outpost, known for handling high-profile national security cases, privately expressed uncertainty Monday about their jobs and concern that the office could be forced to rush out an ill-founded case," the report reads in part. "Some sought advice from former colleagues, and were told to secure insurance against legal malpractice claims."
The report follows other reports indicating that Attorney General Pam Bondi removed the U.S. Attorney for the district, Eric Siebert, because he refused to prosecute a case against New York Attorney General Letitia James.