Erik Siebert, the US attorney whose office has been investigating mortgage fraud allegations against New York attorney general Letitia James, has been told he is being removed from the position, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. The move comes amid efforts by the Donald Trump administration to pursue criminal charges against James, who has been viewed as a “political adversary” of the US president.According to ABC News, Seibert had been “resisting” effort to charge James.Siebert, a career prosecutor, joined the Eastern District of Virginia in 2010, becoming part of an elite Justice Department office known for handling complex national security and criminal cases. A former District of Columbia police officer, he was nominated as US attorney by Trump in May with the support of Virginia’s Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine.It was unclear which official informed Siebert of his removal, the reasoning given, or who might replace him. No public announcement had been made by Friday afternoon, and spokespeople for his office and the Justice Department declined to comment. The allegations against James involve paperwork discrepancies related to her Brooklyn townhouse and a Virginia home. The Justice Department has been investigating for months but has not brought any charges, and there has been no indication that prosecutors have found evidence sufficient to secure an indictment.Her lawyers have strongly denied the allegations, calling the investigation an act of “political revenge.” The New York attorney general has long been a target of Trump’s criticism, in part due to a civil lawsuit she filed against him and his company that resulted in a substantial financial penalty. That penalty was overturned last month by an appeals court, which narrowly upheld a judge’s finding that Trump had engaged in fraud by inflating his wealth over decades.
