Top Virginia prosecutor resigning under pressure from Trump
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia's top federal prosecutor is resigning under pressure from President Donald Trump, who has been demanding his office indict a top New York official for fraud for months.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has been investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James for several months at the direction of the Trump administration. Specifically, they were searching for evidence of mortgage fraud relating to James' Virginia home. However, no evidence of such fraud has been produced by investigators.
In February 2024, James successfully won a civil fraud lawsuit she levied against Trump, with a judge fining him over $354 million, plus interest.
"It looks to me like [James] is very guilty of something, but I really don’t know," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Sept. 18, according to ABC News.
Trump then told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl that he wanted to fire interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert.
"I want him out," Trump said.
Siebert has since informed his employees that he intends to resign, ABC News reported.
He has been with the Eastern District of Virginia since 2010, when he was hired as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Siebert took on the role of interim U.S. Attorney in January of this year after his predecessor, Jessica D. Aber, resigned.
Friday evening, Democratic state senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner issued a joint statement on this news, describing Trump's actions as "politically motivated."
These two senators wrote a letter to the White House in April recommending that Siebert formally assume the role of U.S. attorney. The White House then announced Siebert was the formal nominee in May, pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
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During Friday's presser, Trump referred to Kaine and Warner as "two bad guys."
Kaine and Warner's statement reads:
“The American people are begging for lower costs and for the Trump Administration to undo its attacks on their health care. But what is Trump focused on? Threatening to pull anyone who criticizes him on TV off the air. And now, pushing out the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia that we recommended and he himself nominated because Erik Siebert is an ethical prosecutor who refused to bring criminal charges against Trump’s perceived enemies when the facts wouldn’t support it. The Eastern District of Virginia is at the forefront of significant cases essential to our national security, and just like any court in America, should be focused on justice instead of a thin-skinned president’s vendettas.”
A formal announcement on Siebert's resignation has not yet been made by the U.S. Department of Justice.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
