A senior federal prosecutor has resigned under pressure from President Donald Trump after his investigation into alleged mortgage fraud involving New York Attorney General Letitia James failed to deliver criminal charges.
Erik Siebert, who had been serving as the acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), announced his resignation on Friday. The move came hours after Trump told reporters, “I want him out.”
The case at the center of the dispute involved accusations that James falsified bank and property records to secure favorable mortgage deals for a Virginia home. The allegations were pushed by Trump administration officials at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). However, Siebert reportedly told senior Justice Department officials that investigators lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute.
James, a Democrat and vocal critic of Trump, dismissed the claims as “baseless” and politically motivated. She previously led the successful civil fraud case against Trump in 2023, which heightened tensions between the two.
In his resignation email to staff, Siebert praised colleagues for their commitment to justice, writing: “For the last eight months, I have had the pleasure of leading the finest and most exceptional of DOJ employees who care deeply about our nation and our EDVA community.”
Trump, while claiming he had not closely followed the case, suggested James was “very guilty of something.” He also criticized Siebert’s nomination, pointing out that Virginia’s Democratic senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner supported his confirmation. “When I learned that they voted for him, I said, I don’t really want him,” Trump said.
Kaine and Warner had earlier issued a joint statement endorsing Siebert as someone who had “dedicated his career to protecting public safety.”
The EDVA office, considered one of the most prestigious in the Department of Justice, is also overseeing ongoing investigations into former FBI director James Comey, another figure with a complicated history with Trump.
