Lost in humiliation of $354M penalty, Donald Trump is hellbent on revenge – We Got This Covered

President Donald Trump is set to fire the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after the prosecutor refused to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James after finding no clear evidence of mortgage fraud. Erik Siebert, who has served in the position since January, was told by administration officials that his last day on the job is expected to be Friday.

Federal prosecutors in Virginia found no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023. However, Trump officials pushed Siebert to bring criminal charges against her anyway, according to sources familiar with the matter. The administration now plans to install a US attorney who would more aggressively investigate James.

According to ABC News, Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency who made the criminal referral against James, defended the investigation during an appearance on Fox News. “I believe this is riddled with mortgage fraud, and frankly, I think that’s why she knew so much about the law in terms of how to go after President Trump,” Pulte said. “She was the fraudster, not President Trump.”

Trump’s decision to fire Siebert marks an escalation in what critics call his retribution campaign

The decision to fire Siebert could create a crisis at one of the most prominent US attorney offices in the country. The Eastern District of Virginia handles most of the nation’s espionage and terrorism cases because of its proximity to Washington. The office serves over six million people with a staff of 300 prosecutors across four divisions. The firing comes as Trump’s Justice Department faces criticism for being broken and operating in the dark, according to congressional Democrats.

Siebert, a former police officer with the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department, graduated from law school in 2009 and worked as an assistant US attorney since 2010. Trump nominated him for the position in May after both of Virginia’s Democratic senators recommended him. The federal judge extended Siebert’s tenure when his initial 120-day term expired.

The investigation into James began after Pulte sent the Department of Justice a criminal referral in April. Trump administration officials argued that James committed mortgage fraud because one document related to her 2023 home purchase falsely indicated the property would be her primary residence. However, investigators determined that the document was a limited power of attorney form used by James’ niece and was never considered by loan officers who approved the mortgage.

The move against Siebert comes as part of broader investigations targeting Trump’s political opponents, including Senator Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Ed Martin, who heads the Department of Justice’s Weaponization Working Group, and Pulte have both pushed federal prosecutors to seek indictments against these officials for alleged mortgage fraud. The administration has also asked the Supreme Court to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over similar mortgage fraud allegations. James successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year, resulting in a $354 million penalty that was later overturned by an appeals court while the fraud findings were upheld.