The Lawfare Podcast The Now: Anna Bower's Signal Exchange with Lindsey Halligan
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Oct 21, 2025 
Anna Bower, Senior Editor at Lawfare and legal reporter, shares her intriguing experience with Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. Attorney. After an unsolicited Signal message from Halligan, Anna discusses how she verified her identity through a clever challenge. The conversation revolves around Halligan's objections to Anna's tweets on grand jury matters, raising concerns about secrecy. They explore the unusual nature of a prosecutor reaching out to a reporter and the implications of off-the-record claims, leaving listeners curious about the dynamics between media and legal authorities.
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Unexpected Signal Message From Halligan
- Anna Bower received an unsolicited Signal DM from someone claiming to be Lindsey Halligan while off-duty on a Saturday afternoon.
- She verified identity by asking where they'd first met and receiving the correct answer, which began the unusual exchange.
Prosecutor Objected To Tweets About Grand Jury
- Halligan contacted Bower not about Bower's reporting, but about tweets summarizing The New York Times' grand jury reporting.
- It's unusual for a prosecutor to engage directly about grand jury matters because of disclosure rules and norms.
Ask Sources To Pinpoint Claimed Errors
- If a source claims a factual error, ask them to specify what is wrong and offer to correct it.
- Anna repeatedly asked Halligan to identify factual mistakes but received no clear specifics.