Florida Bar now says Lindsey Halligan not under investigation, reversing earlier statement

Washington — The Florida Bar said Friday that there is no pending investigation of Lindsey Halligan, the former interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, after previously sending a letter saying one was underway.

In a letter to the Campaign for Accountability dated Feb. 4, the bar, when asked about Halligan's actions as interim U.S. attorney, wrote, "We are aware of these developments and have been monitoring them closely. We already have an investigation pending." 

But a spokesperson for the organization said Friday that it is merely "monitoring" proceedings related to Halligan, and that the letter "erroneously" stated she was under investigation.

"There is no such pending Bar investigation of Lindsay Halligan," the new statement said. "In this case, The Florida Bar received a complaint against Lindsay [sic] Halligan and, consistent with standard practice, the Bar is monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings underlying the complaint."

Halligan led cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of which were ultimately dismissed when a federal judge found her appointment to the post to be unlawful and in violation of the Constitution.

The Campaign for Accountability filed the initial complaint that prompted the bar's letter. 

"CfA has not heard directly from the Florida Bar, but it's hard to reconcile this latest statement with the bar counsel's previous letter saying there is an investigation pending," said Michelle Kuppersmith, the group's executive director. "If there is no longer an investigation into Halligan, the question is why not, given that three judges indicated she engaged in conduct that appears to violate ethics rules."

U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie ruled in November that Halligan's appointment as interim U.S. attorney violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause and a federal law governing U.S. attorney vacancies. Because of the finding, Currie ordered criminal cases against Comey and James to be dismissed. The Justice Department appealed the decision, but it has not asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to freeze Currie's ruling while it considers the appeal.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in January that Halligan departed the Justice Department after a federal judge barred her from referring to herself as a U.S. attorney in court filings, finding her continued use of the title ignored a "binding court order" that disqualified her from the position in 2025. 

CBS News has reached out to Halligan for comment. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the Florida Bar now says no investigation is underway and that its previous letter erroneously said otherwise.