Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia for failing to find evidence to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James.
James has been a target of Trump’s ever since she won a civil case last year against the Trump Organization and the president himself over allegations that he deceived banks and insurers by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. A New York appeals court panel upheld the finding that Trump is liable for fraud but threw out the nearly half-billion-dollar penalty finding it excessive. The decision is being appealed.
Trump has threatened to retaliate against his enemies, including James, and has been pressuring federal prosecutors to bring charges against her over alleged mortgage fraud.
For months, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia has been investigating whether James knowingly made false statements on a loan application by indicating a property in Virginia is her primary residence.
ABC News reported on Wednesday that US Attorney Erik Siebert has been under intense pressure from Trump administration officials to indict James even though his office found no evidence to sustain a conviction against her.
On Thursday, the outlet reported that Trump is expected to fire Siebert on Friday and replace him with someone who will target James more aggressively.
Trump nominated Siebert for the position in May, and his ouster could potentially throw one of the country’s most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices, which handles a bulk of the country’s espionage and terrorism cases, into crisis.
Trump has targeted other adversaries with similar dubious claims of mortgage fraud. They include Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. He has presented no credible evidence to support his claim. Interestingly, his own Cabinet official, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, has been credibly accused of mortgage fraud and there has been no investigation.
