Trump says he wants to remove attorney who resisted prosecuting Letitia James

President Trump said Friday a top prosecutor in Virginia who has resisted pursuing charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James should be removed.

Trump was asked in the Oval Office whether he wanted to fire Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, over his handling of mortgage fraud allegations against James.

"Yeah, I want him out, yeah," Trump said when asked if he wanted Seibert fired.

Trump said he did not approve of Siebert because he had the support of Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.). 

"He was approved by two Democrat senators who, in my opinion, are among the worst," Trump said.

The Justice Department did not comment Friday on its plans to fire Siebert.

ABC News reported earlier this week that prosecutors were being pressured to bring charges against James despite a lack of evidence in the case.

The case against James is based on a referral from the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA), run by Trump ally Bill Pulte, who has tapped agency data in alleging several Trump foes wrongfully obtained more favorable loan conditions.

Beyond James, Pulte also accused Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, of similar mortgage fraud.

All have denied wrongdoing and described the investigations as a clear effort to target those the president perceived as enemies. Schiff said President Trump was misrepresenting his dual home ownership while Cook, who is represented by the same lawyer as James, called them “cut and paste” allegations.

Pulte in April first made a criminal referral on James’s Virginia mortgage.

“At the time of the 2023 Norfolk, VA property purchase and mortgage, Ms. James was the siting Attorney General of New York and is required by law to have her primary residence in the state of New York—even though her mortgage applications list her intent to have the Norfolk, VA property as her primary home,” his agency wrote in its referral, which was obtained by The Hill.

Within the Justice Department, the case was in part given to Ed Martin, a figure who failed to be confirmed by the Senate for a U.S. Attorney role and was then instead tapped to lead the new Weaponization Working Group at the Justice Department.

Both Pulte and Martin have been vocal in discussing the cases – something investigators are typically hesitant to do before any charges have been filed.

Martin was spotted taking photographs in front of James’s New York home, another move that likely violates DOJ ethical guidelines for its attorneys. Pulte has similarly accused James of mortgage fraud with that home as well.