In a significant political development, President Donald Trump is poised to dismiss U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia. This decision follows an investigation that found no incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, as reported by multiple sources. Federal prosecutors in Virginia were unable to establish that James knowingly committed any fraudulent acts during her home purchase in 2023.
ABC News first disclosed that federal prosecutors had not identified any clear evidence implicating James in mortgage fraud. Despite this, Trump administration officials reportedly pressured Siebert to pursue criminal charges against her. Sources close to the matter indicated that Siebert has been informed of Trump's intention to terminate his position, with his final day expected to be Friday.
The potential firing of Siebert could lead to a crisis within one of the nation’s most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices, which is responsible for a substantial number of the country’s espionage and terrorism cases. Critics of Trump have raised alarms about what they perceive as the administration's misuse of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to target political opponents.
Trump nominated Siebert for the U.S. attorney position in May. Since then, administration insiders have indicated that the plan is to appoint a successor who would be more inclined to aggressively investigate James. This potential dismissal is seen as an escalation in what has been characterized as a campaign of retribution against Trump's political adversaries, including ongoing investigations into figures like Senator Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
President Trump has frequently accused Letitia James of politically motivated attacks, labeling her as biased and corrupt. During his civil fraud trial in 2023, Trump remarked, "James is a horror show who ran on the basis that she was going to get Trump before she even knew anything about me." He has further claimed that her actions constitute election interference.
In a three-month trial, a New York judge found that Trump and his family engaged in a decade-long pattern of business fraud, overstating the value of their properties to secure favorable loan terms. Although an appeals court later overturned the financial penalty imposed on Trump and his sons, it upheld the finding of fraud.
Trump's administration has argued that James committed mortgage fraud based on a document related to her home purchase, which they allege falsely indicated that the property would be her primary residence. This investigation was initiated after Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, referred the matter to the DOJ in April, asserting that "this is riddled with mortgage fraud." Pulte suggested that James's legal knowledge was indicative of her fraudulent intentions, claiming, "She was the fraudster, not President Trump."
However, investigators have concluded that the document in question—a limited power of attorney form used by James's niece to sign documents on her behalf—was never reviewed by the loan officers responsible for approving the mortgage.
Erik Siebert, a former police officer with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, graduated from law school in 2009 and has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia since 2010. His career includes leading the office's organized drug crime task force and overseeing its Richmond division from 2019 to 2024. He was appointed as the interim U.S. attorney on January 21, following the resignation of Jessica Aber.
Both of Virginia's Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, recommended Siebert to Trump, citing his extensive experience and commitment to public safety. After his initial 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney expired, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia unanimously agreed to extend his tenure.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the most high-profile federal prosecutors' offices in the nation, serving over six million people with a team of around 300 prosecutors. Known as one of the fastest-moving trial courts in the country, the Eastern District frequently handles significant terrorism and intelligence-related cases due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and the numerous government entities within its jurisdiction.
