Just days after New York Attorney General Letitia James moved to remove President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer from leading her criminal case, a St. Louis-based Trump supporter joined the team prosecuting her.
Lindsey Halligan, interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and a former attorney for the president, personally secured the indictment against James and continues to lead the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Keller, a veteran prosecutor from the Eastern District of Missouri, has joined the Virginia case.
Keller, a St. Charles County resident who works out of the St. Louis office, was described by a former colleague as “outspokenly conservative, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump” known to wear the trademark red MAGA hat outside of work, St. Louis Magazine reported.
According to Lawfare, Keller had a few awkward moments in court — first telling the judge the trial might last two weeks before being corrected that it would likely take three to five days. Later, he puzzled the courtroom by suggesting that James should keep a “log” of her public statements similar to the government’s media disclosure record.
James pleaded not guilty last week to federal charges of mortgage fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The Justice Department alleges that she lied about buying a Virginia house in 2020 as a second residence but instead used it as a “rental investment property” for a family of three.
Her great-niece has lived in the home since 2020 and testified to a Norfolk grand jury that she does not pay rent, The New York Times reported. Tax forms show a total of $1,350 in rent from the property for the year, according to The Times.
“This is not about me,” James said after thanking supporters gathered outside the federal building in Virginia. “This is about all of us and a justice system that has been weaponized. A justice system that has been used as a tool of revenge. A weapon against those individuals who simply did their job and stood up for the rule of law.”
Halligan’s role is under fire from James’ defense team, which is seeking to dismiss the indictment. They argue her appointment violated federal law and allege she communicated with a reporter about the case using the auto-delete feature on the Signal app — a potential violation of court rules and record-keeping laws. A judge will hear arguments on that motion in November.
Trump campaigned ahead of the 2024 election pledging revenge against his political opponents. James and her allies have called the case a “vehicle of retribution” by his administration.
Higher Heights, a national organization that supports Black women in public office, said James was being targeted for doing the job she was elected to do.
“She held Trump accountable in court and proved that no one, no matter how powerful, is above the law,” the group said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul voiced similar support on Threads the night before the arraignment. “[Trump] came to our city, and now he is destroying our system of justice to take her down, but that will not happen, my friends, because she is, above all, a New Yorker,” Hochul wrote. “She has the heart of a lioness. She is tough and she will withstand.”
James is among three high-profile critics of Trump the Justice Department recently charged — joining former FBI Director James Comey, accused of lying to Congress, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, charged with retaining national defense information. All three deny wrongdoing.
In 2022, James brought a civil fraud case against Trump and the Trump Organization that found him guilty of falsifying records to secure favorable loans. The ruling led to a $500 million fine later overturned on appeal as excessive, though the guilty verdict stood.
Polls show the public is divided. A Quinnipiac University survey released Oct. 22 found that 52 percent of voters believe Trump is using the Justice Department to pursue unjustified criminal charges against his political opponents, while 38 percent believe the charges are legally justified.
A similar Reuters/Ipsos poll found more than half of Americans — including three in 10 Republicans — think the president is using federal law enforcement to target his “enemies.”
The trial is set for Jan. 26.
As supporters cheered outside the courthouse, James said she would not be distracted from her duties as New York’s top prosecutor.
“There’s no fear today,” she said.