US Attorney resigns amid strain to prosecute Trump’s foes | EUROtoday

A high prosecutor has resigned after refusing to press expenses in opposition to a few of President Donald Trump’s political foes, new reviews reveal.

Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, submitted his resignation on Friday. Shortly beforehand, Trump advised reporters he wished Siebert “out” as a result of he realized that Virginia’s Democratic senators supported his nomination earlier this 12 months.

But Siebert’s resignation reportedly comes after he declined to pursue mortgage fraud expenses in opposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Trump administration had pressured Siebert to carry expenses in opposition to James, even if investigators failed to seek out proof of wrongdoing, ABC News reviews, citing sources conversant in the matter.

Trump advised reporters Friday he thinks James — who beforehand led a profitable civil case in opposition to him in New York — is “very guilty of something, but I really don’t know.”

Siebert had additionally declined to prosecute ex-FBI director James Comey primarily based on allegations lodged by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, two individuals conversant in that inquiry advised The Washington Post. Comey grew to become an outspoken critic of Trump’s after the president fired him in 2017.

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James has denied all wrongdoing, and her lawyer, Abbe Lowell, known as the strain on Siebert “a brazen attack on the rule of law,” The Washington Post reviews.

James led the three-year investigation and lawsuit which accused Trump and his associates of fraudulently convincing banks and lenders to offer them favorable financing phrases primarily based on bogus and inflated monetary statements.

“This prosecutor did exactly what justice required by following the facts and the evidence, which didn’t support charges against Attorney General James,” Lowell mentioned.

“Firing people until he finds someone who will bend the law to carry out his revenge has been the President’s pattern — and it’s illegal,” Lowell continued. “Punishing this prosecutor, a Trump appointee, for doing his job sends a clear and chilling message that anyone who dares uphold the law over politics will face the same fate.”

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Siebert thanked his “finest and most exceptional” colleagues in his resignation electronic mail, which was reviewed by ABC News.

“Thank you for the teachings you will have taught me, the sacrifices you will have made, and the pursuit of justice you attempt for every single day,” he wrote.

Trump nominated Siebert earlier this 12 months. It’s not instantly clear who will exchange him, as Siebert’s deputy has additionally left her place and can proceed working within the workplace as a line prosecutor, ABC News reviews.

A White House official referred The Independent to Trump’s remarks within the Oval Office on Friday when contacted for remark.

The Independent has contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for remark.