Virginia’s Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, are expected to oppose U.S. President Donald Trump’s nomination of Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Semafor reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Reuters has not independently verified the report. Halligan, 36, is a former insurance attorney who later served as Trump’s personal lawyer following his first term and briefly worked as a White House aide early in Trump’s second term. She has no prior prosecutorial experience.
Despite Republican control of the U.S. Senate, Halligan’s nomination faces significant procedural barriers. The White House attempted to move her appointment forward on Thursday, but it is likely to encounter resistance under the long-standing “blue slip” tradition, which allows home-state senators to influence U.S. attorney and judicial nominations. The offices of Kaine, Warner, and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Members of both parties have resisted Trump’s push to eliminate the blue slip process, which he argues hampers the swift confirmation of his nominees. The bipartisan reluctance underscores the challenges Halligan’s nomination may face as it proceeds to Senate consideration.
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