A top prosecutor has resigned after refusing to press charges against some of President Donald Trump’s political foes, new reports reveal.
Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, submitted his resignation on Friday. Shortly beforehand, Trump told reporters he wanted Siebert “out” because he learned that Virginia’s Democratic senators supported his nomination earlier this year.
But Siebert’s resignation reportedly comes after he declined to pursue mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Trump administration had pressured Siebert to bring charges against James, despite the fact that investigators failed to find evidence of wrongdoing, ABC News reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Trump told reporters Friday he thinks James — who previously led a successful civil case against him in New York — is “very guilty of something, but I really don’t know.”
Siebert had also declined to prosecute ex-FBI director James Comey based on allegations lodged by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, two people familiar with that inquiry told The Washington Post. Comey became an outspoken critic of Trump’s after the president fired him in 2017.
James has denied all wrongdoing, and her attorney, Abbe Lowell, called the pressure on Siebert “a brazen attack on the rule of law,” The Washington Post reports.
James led the three-year investigation and lawsuit which accused Trump and his associates of fraudulently convincing banks and lenders to give them favorable financing terms based on bogus and inflated financial statements.
“This prosecutor did exactly what justice required by following the facts and the evidence, which didn’t support charges against Attorney General James,” Lowell said.
“Firing people until he finds someone who will bend the law to carry out his revenge has been the President’s pattern — and it’s illegal,” Lowell continued. “Punishing this prosecutor, a Trump appointee, for doing his job sends a clear and chilling message that anyone who dares uphold the law over politics will face the same fate.”
Siebert thanked his “finest and most exceptional” colleagues in his resignation email, which was reviewed by ABC News.
“Thank you for the lessons you have taught me, the sacrifices you have made, and the pursuit of justice you strive for every day,” he wrote.
Trump nominated Siebert earlier this year. It’s not immediately clear who will replace him, as Siebert’s deputy has also left her position and will continue working in the office as a line prosecutor, ABC News reports.
A White House official referred The Independent to Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office on Friday when contacted for comment.
The Independent has contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for comment.
