1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate congressional oversight into an extraordinary and deeply troubling abuse of power by the United States Department of Justice. According to public reporting, the Florida Bar has abruptly reversed course and announced it will no longer investigate former Justice Department attorney Lindsey Halligan. Just days earlier, the Bar had confirmed that a professional conduct review was underway. Now, that investigation has been quietly abandoned after pressure from the Department of Justice. Let’s be clear about what this means. The federal government appears to have intervened to shut down an independent state ethics investigation into one of its own former attorneys. If true, this is not just inappropriate—it is a direct assault on the independence of the legal profession and the rule of law. State bar associations exist to hold attorneys accountable for ethical misconduct. They are intentionally independent so that lawyers—especially powerful or politically connected ones—cannot evade scrutiny. When the Justice Department steps in to force a state bar to abandon an investigation, it sends a chilling message: federal insiders are above the rules that govern everyone else. That cannot stand. Congress must immediately demand answers from the United States Department of Justice and the leadership of The Florida Bar. The American people deserve to know: • What communications took place between the DOJ and the Florida Bar regarding the investigation of Lindsey Halligan? • Who at the DOJ ordered or approved this intervention? • What authority did the federal government claim to justify interfering in a state disciplinary process? • Were threats, legal pressure, or political influence used to force the Bar to abandon its investigation? • Has the DOJ intervened in other state bar investigations involving federal attorneys? If the Justice Department can strong-arm a state bar into dropping an ethics investigation, then the entire system of professional accountability for attorneys is compromised. The public cannot trust the justice system if federal officials are able to shield their allies from scrutiny behind closed doors. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of the executive branch. That responsibility does not disappear when the issue involves the Department of Justice itself. In fact, it becomes even more urgent. I am calling on Congress to immediately open an investigation, demand all communications between the DOJ and the Florida Bar, and hold public oversight hearings on this matter. The rule of law cannot survive if those charged with enforcing it are allowed to manipulate accountability for their own benefit. Silence from Congress in the face of this kind of interference would only signal that federal power can be used to protect insiders from consequences. The American people deserve transparency, independence, and equal accountability under the law. Right now, those principles appear to be under threat.