The Justice Department has fired Robert McBride, the No. 2 official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), after he declined to move forward with a renewed prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey, multiple sources confirmed Monday.
McBride’s termination marks the most significant internal shake-up yet in the Trump administration’s broad push to restore accountability within the Justice Department, particularly in offices long viewed as protectors of the intelligence establishment.
According to multiple officials briefed on the matter, McBride’s dismissal stemmed from his refusal to re-prosecute Comey after a federal judge temporarily dismissed the case. The decision came following U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie’s late-November ruling that U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan’s appointment violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution because she had not been properly confirmed by the Senate at the time she brought charges.
Despite the procedural setback, Halligan and Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed prosecutors to prepare to refile the case once Halligan’s appointment was ratified — a plan McBride reportedly resisted.
“He was insubordinate, plain and simple,” said one senior Justice Department official, speaking on background. “The Attorney General made it clear this case would proceed. McBride was not willing to follow lawful orders from his superiors.”
McBride, 64, is a career federal prosecutor and former Navy lawyer who previously served in Kentucky before joining the Virginia office. Sources told MS Now that McBride held private, undisclosed meetings with federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia, including judges involved in the Comey case, without Halligan’s knowledge or authorization. Those meetings were seen inside DOJ as “highly irregular” and “a serious breach of protocol.”
Halligan reportedly learned of the meetings through court staff and immediately raised concerns to senior officials in Washington. Within days, McBride was placed on administrative leave pending review — a review that ultimately led to his removal late Friday.
The Justice Department confirmed the firing in a brief written statement, saying McBride was dismissed “for conduct inconsistent with DOJ standards and chain-of-command procedures.”
Comey was indicted in September on two felony counts — false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding — stemming from his testimony to lawmakers about the origins of the FBI’s 2016 investigation into alleged Trump-Russia ties. Prosecutors allege Comey knowingly misled Congress about the use of the Steele dossier and internal discussions about wiretapping members of the Trump campaign.
Although Judge Currie’s ruling temporarily halted the case, Halligan has made clear she intends to re-prosecute Comey, arguing that the indictment remains valid and that only her own procedural status was affected.
“James Comey is not above the law,” Halligan said in a statement last month. “Our office intends to pursue justice without fear or favor, regardless of politics or position.”
The developments in Virginia come as Attorney General Bondi continues to expand her department’s investigation into what she calls a “decade-long pattern of weaponization” of the Justice Department and intelligence community against conservatives. Bondi told Just the News earlier this month that prosecutors are using an “ongoing conspiracy” legal framework to pursue criminal accountability for actions stretching back to the Obama administration’s surveillance of Trump associates.
Bondi has also credited Halligan’s office for “fearlessly taking on entrenched corruption inside the system.”
The Eastern District of Virginia has long been a central battleground for major national security and corruption cases. It is the same venue where former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann, and other high-profile figures have faced scrutiny in recent years.
Legal analysts say McBride’s firing underscores the Trump administration’s determination to press forward with prosecutions that prior administrations declined to pursue. “The message is clear — internal resistance will not derail this Justice Department’s mission,” said one former federal prosecutor familiar with the case.
The firing also signals a shift toward tighter White House oversight of politically sensitive prosecutions. Vice President JD Vance has reportedly been briefed on the matter and supports Bondi’s efforts to restore what he called “institutional integrity and equal justice.”
The Justice Department has not indicated when Comey’s re-indictment will be filed, but officials confirmed that the case remains active and that “additional defendants” may face charges stemming from related investigations into FBI conduct during the Trump-Russia probe.
