US prosecutor ‘fired’ after pressure to charge Trump foes James Comey and Letitia James
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Prosecutor Erik Siebert had been under pressure to prosecute former FBI director James Comey (left) and New York Attorney-General Letitia James.
PHOTOS: GREGG VIGLIOTTI, JARED SOARES/NYTIMES
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- Trump stated he "fired" US Attorney Erik Siebert after learning of his "UNUSUALLY STRONG support" from Democrat Senators in Virginia.
- Siebert reportedly faced pressure to prosecute Trump's political rivals James Comey and Letitia James, but declined due to insufficient evidence.
- Siebert's office handles major national security cases. Trump questioned James' guilt in her US$464 million case against him.
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Sept 20 he “fired” a federal prosecutor who was reportedly facing pressure over investigations into two of the Republican leader’s political foes.
Mr Erik Siebert, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, told staff of his resignation via an e-mail on Sept 19, The New York Times and other US media outlets reported.
Mr Siebert had been under pressure to prosecute two of Mr Trump’s political adversaries, former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James Comey – whom Mr Trump fired in 2017 – and New York Attorney-General Letitia James, the Times reported.
Some officials in the administration had argued for Mr Siebert to keep his position, according to the Times.
“Today I withdrew the Nomination of Erik Siebert as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, when I was informed that he received the UNUSUALLY STRONG support of the two absolutely terrible, sleazebag Democrat Senators, from the Great State of Virginia,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“He didn’t quit, I fired him!” he added.
Hours earlier in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told reporters: “I want him out.”
The federal prosecutor had recently told Justice Department leadership he was declining to prosecute Mr Comey over allegations he lied to Congress, and that there was insufficient evidence to charge Ms James with mortgage fraud, officials familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.
Former FBI chief Mr Comey was fired while leading a probe into whether any members of the Trump campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 presidential vote. He has been a vocal critic of the Republican President.
Ms James, as New York’s state prosecutor, brought a US$464 (S$595 million) million case against Mr Trump,
She, like several other Democratic officials, has been accused by a close Trump ally, Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, of falsifying documents on mortgage applications.
Asked about the case against Ms James on Sept 19, Mr Trump said: “It looks to me like she’s really guilty of something, but I really don’t know.”
Mr Siebert, a graduate of Virginia Military Institute and a former Washington police officer, led a team of approximately 300 prosecutors in a jurisdiction that often handles major cases related to national security. AFP
