Donald Trump’s fresh pick as the attorney to indict former FBI Director James Comey has made an embarrassing blunder while trumpeting the news in her first week on the job.
Trump foe Comey was charged with making a false statement and obstruction relating to his oral testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on September 30, 2020. At the time, he was heading the investigation into claims of Russian interference in Trump’s 2016 campaign.
However the quote attributed to Halligan, who has taken on the new role with no previous prosecutorial experience, contains a major spelling error.
“The balance of power is a bedrock principal of our democracy,” it reads, rather than “principle.”
While the two words have the same pronunciation, “principal” can have multiple meanings as an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, it can mean “the most important,” according to Merriam-Webster. As a noun, it can refer to a person of importance in an organization. A “principle,” however, is a truth or a rule about what is right and how to behave. The error was spotted by CBS.
The Daily Beast has contacted Halligan’s office for comment.
Halligan replaced Erik Siebert, who resigned from his position last week after reportedly refusing to pursue charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump posted on Truth Social, “I fired him,” hours later. Halligan was sworn in as acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last week on Monday.
Trump announced he had appointed Halligan on Truth Social, calling her “tough smart and loyal.”
“She is extremely intelligent, fearless and, working with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, has the strength and determination to be absolutely OUTSTANDING in this new and very important role,” the president claimed.
Halligan previously worked in insurance law until 2022, when she was recruited to join Trump’s personal legal team.
Halligan met Trump the previous year at his Florida golf club and has since represented him in cases involving the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago and his defamation case against CNN, according to Vanity Fair.
Before the role as a U.S. attorney, Halligan personally steered the White House’s attempt to rid the Smithsonian museums of content considered woke or that was “weaponizing history,” the magazine reported.
Prior to her law degree, the 36-year-old made the 2009 semifinals of the Miss Colorado USA pageant and was third runner-up in 2010.
“Sports and pageants taught me confidence, discipline, and how to handle pressure—on the court, on the field, on the stage, in the courtroom and now in the White House,” Halligan told The Washington Post in April.
Discussing the Comey case on The Source With Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez said it was unusual for a newly-installed U.S. Attorney to present an indictment to a grand jury.
“Usually you have career U.S. Attorneys, assistant U.S. Attorneys who make the presentations to the grand jury,” Perez said.
“In this case, we know that there were concerns that were raised by the career lawyers in that office who did not believe that this was a case, that they could that they could bring to fruition.”