ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Justice Department lawyer on Thursday defended the legality of Lindsey Halligan's appointment as acting U.S. attorney to a skeptical federal judge who's weighing whether to dismiss cases she brought against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie did not issue a ruling after the hour-plus-long hearing, but said she plans to issue a decision by Thanksgiving on whether to disqualify Halligan from her post.

An attorney for the Justice Department, Henry Whitaker, characterized questions about the appointment of Halligan — a Trump ally with no prosecutorial experience — as a "paperwork error."

Currie made clear, however, that she had serious concerns, including over what appeared to be gaps in the tra

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