Federal prosecutor tasked with investigating Trump adversary Letitia James resigns under pressure

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2. U.S. Attorney Investigating Two Trump Foes Resigns After President Seeks to Oust Him

U.S. Attorney Investigating Two Trump Foes Resigns After President Seeks to Oust Him

Erik S. Siebert had hit roadblocks investigating New York's attorney general, Letitia James, and the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey.


The push to remove Erik S. Siebert, a highly regarded career prosecutor, came as a shock in an office that handles some of the nation's most sensitive national security investigations. Rod Lamkey/Associated Press

By Glenn Thrush, Maggie Haberman, Jonah E. Bromwich, Alan Feuer and William K. Rashbaum
Sept. 19, 2025
Updated 8:59 p.m. ET

The U.S. attorney investigating New York's attorney general, Letitia James, and the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey resigned under pressure on Friday after President Trump called for his ouster.

Erik S. Siebert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, had recently told senior Justice Department officials that investigators found insufficient evidence to bring charges against Ms. James and had also raised concerns about a potential case against Mr. Comey, according to officials familiar with the situation. Mr. Trump has long viewed Ms. James and Mr. Comey as adversaries and has repeatedly pledged retribution against law enforcement officials who pursued him.

Mr. Siebert informed prosecutors in his office of his resignation through an email hours after the president, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said he wanted him removed because two Democratic senators from Virginia had approved of his nomination.

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The episode was consistent with Mr. Trump's threats to pursue the law enforcement officials who investigated him, an apparent challenge to the fundamental principle enshrined in the Justice Department's rulebook of investigating crimes rather than targeting out-of-favor individuals to uncover potential wrongdoing.

And though Mr. Trump provided a rationale for Mr. Siebert's ouster unrelated to the cases against Ms. James and Mr. Comey, the removal of a U.S. attorney who was investigating the president's foes showed how deeply the administration has departed from the longstanding norm of avoiding political interference in prosecutions in favor of using the justice system to seek retribution.

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Tyler Pager contributed reporting.
Glenn Thrush covers the Department of Justice for The Times and has also written about gun violence, civil rights and conditions in the country's jails and prisons.

Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The Times, reporting on President Trump.

Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in the New York region for The Times. He is focused on political influence and its effect on the rule of law in the area's federal and state courts.

Alan Feuer covers extremism and political violence for The Times, focusing on the criminal cases involving the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and against former President Donald J. Trump.

William K. Rashbaum is a Times reporter covering municipal and political corruption, the courts and broader law enforcement topics in New York.

A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 20, 2025, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline: Trump Pushes For Dismissal Of Prosecutor. Order Reprints Today's Paper Subscribe