What happens when a top federal prosecutor doubts the case he’s asked to pursue—especially when the president is watching?
That’s the drama unfolding in Virginia, where Erik Siebert, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District, abruptly resigned.
President Donald Trump bluntly declared, “I want him out.”
Siebert’s team had been investigating claims that New York Attorney General Letitia James falsified mortgage records to score better loan deals.
But according to The New York Times, Siebert told senior officials the evidence simply wasn’t there.
The Associated Press reported he was essentially given a choice: resign or be fired.
James, a Democrat who famously won a civil fraud suit against Trump in 2023, dismissed the accusations as “baseless” and “revenge.”
What’s The Reason?
Trump, meanwhile, publicly cast doubt on Siebert’s credibility, saying Virginia’s two Democratic senators supported him.
“He can’t be any good”—and signaling he wanted the nomination withdrawn.
In his farewell email, Siebert praised his staff as “the finest and most exceptional” at the Justice Department.
But the resignation leaves a powerhouse federal office—also investigating Trump foe James Comey—without its top prosecutor.
And it raises a bigger question: in today’s polarized Washington, can any investigation truly escape the pull of politics?
