President Trump claimed that the US attorney looking into mortgage fraud allegations against New York Attorney General Letitia James was fired, not that he resigned. Eric Sheebert, who serves as the chief prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, reportedly informed his team that he was stepping down amid the investigation involving James.
“Today, I have retracted Eric Siebert’s appointment as US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia,” Trump said in a social media post shortly after midnight on Saturday. He added that Siebert had received backing from two Democratic senators, which seemed to be a factor in his decision. “He didn’t stop; I fired him!” Trump asserted.
The president also noted, “Next time, I let him go as a Democrat, not a Republican,” thanking his audience for their careful attention to the matter.
Siebert, who was nominated by Trump in May, had yet to receive Senate confirmation. His resignation came after Trump expressed a desire for a different prosecutor. “I want him,” Trump said during a Friday press conference in the Oval Office.
The president shifted his view on Siebert’s nomination after learning that Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner from Virginia had voiced their support for him. “I have other people, judges, I have lawyers from other states who have the same situation, and they can’t be approved,” Trump remarked.
In an email to his team following Trump’s comments, Siebert stated, “Tonight I submitted my resignation as an interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. For the past eight months, I have had the pleasure of leading some of the best and most exceptional DOJ employees who care deeply about our country and the EDVA community.”
He acknowledged the lessons learned, the sacrifices made, and the commitment to justice that his team demonstrated daily.
Pressure reportedly mounted on Siebert from the Trump administration in connection with the mortgage fraud investigation into James. In April, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte requested the FBI to investigate James, alleging that she had falsified records to secure a lucrative loan for a property purchased in Virginia in 2023, along with a brownstone in Brooklyn owned since 2001.
Despite claims that James has designated Norfolk, Virginia, as her primary residence while serving as attorney general, she dismissed the allegations as “basically unfounded” and characterized them as part of a “revenge tour” orchestrated by Trump, who she previously raised civil fraud charges against.
Sheebert was considering potential accusations against James and was set to meet with a special Justice Department lawyer on Monday to discuss the situation further. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
