(In 4th paragraph corrects to say the ruling was on Monday, not Tuesday)

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday denied that President Donald Trump’s appointed prosecutor who secured an indictment against former FBI Director James Comey engaged in any misconduct, and asked a federal judge not to force prosecutors to turn over secret grand jury materials to Comey’s defense team.

In court filings and in statements to the media, the department defended Lindsey Halligan, who was hand-picked by Trump to serve as the interim U.S. Attorney for Virginia’s Eastern District after her predecessor was forced out after expressing concerns about the strength of the evidence in the case.

“The US Attorney and grand jury in this case operated exactly as the law

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