US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he “fired” a federal prosecutor who was under pressure about investigations into two of his political opponents.
Erik Siebert, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, told his staff on Friday that he was resigning, according to reports from the New York Times and other media.
Siebert had been pressured to charge former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who are both political opponents of Trump.
Some government officials wanted Siebert to stay in his job, but Trump said he removed him. On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that Siebert didn’t quit — he was fired.
Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters from the Oval Office, “I want him out.”
Siebert had recently informed the Justice Department that he would not charge Comey. The allegations said Comey lied to Congress, but Siebert found no strong evidence. Siebert also said there was not enough proof to charge James with mortgage fraud.
James, the New York state attorney, has filed a $464 million lawsuit against Trump. She claims he and his company lied about the value of their properties to get better bank loans and insurance.
A close Trump ally has accused James and other Democrats of falsifying mortgage documents.
When asked about the case against James, Trump said, “It looks to me like she’s really guilty of something, but I really don’t know.”
Siebert graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and used to be a Washington police officer. He led about 300 prosecutors in a region that often handles important national security cases.
