'Red line crossed': Trump plan to fire US attorney 'for not bending the knee' sparks outrage

Late Thursday night, September 18, ABC News reported that President Donald Trump "is expected to fire" federal prosecutor Erik Siebert — U.S. attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Eastern District of Virginia — for not finding incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against a political foe: New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

According to ABC News reporters Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous, and Alexander Mallin, "Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC News first reported earlier this week. But Trump officials pushed U.S. attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources. Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump's intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said. Siebert's last day on the job is expected to be Friday, (September 19)."

The ABC News journalists add, "The decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorney's offices, which handles a bulk of the country's espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trump's alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries. Trump nominated Siebert for the position in May. Sources familiar with the matter said that the administration now plans to install a U.S. attorney who would more aggressively investigate James."

X.com, formerly Twitter, is full of reactions to Siebert's likely firing.

Trump ally, veteran GOP operative and self-described "dirty trickster" Roger Stone claimed, "This is FALSE! There's overwhelming evidence of mortgage fraud, tax fraud, and insurance fraud by James ,Siebert is resisting charging James because he fears that his appointment will not be approved by Virginia's two Democrat senators."

But other X users argued that the investigation of James is motivated by revenge, not actual legal concerns.

Former federal prosecutor and MSNBC legal analyst Joyce White Vance tweeted, "This would be another red line crossed: Career prosecutors aren’t political people. They’re trained to look at the facts & the law & determine whether admissible evidence is sufficient to prove a crime. But Trump wants revenge prosecutions, whether there is evidence or not."

Another ex-DOJ prosecutor, Gene Rossi, posted, "Sad (very, very) to hear that the uber U.S. Attorney for the premiere Eastern District of Virginia (career prosecutor Erik Siebert) may be fired for not bending the knee relating to allegations of mortgage fraud by NY AG Letitia James. @TishJames.

Ukraine-based user Akash Maniam posted, "People need to understand how putin consolidated power. It didn't happen overnight. Years of purges, censorship & crackdowns made it happen. That's how authoritarianism often takes root. Easier to stop early in the process."

Journalist Polly Sigh wrote, "Trump is going to fire his own appointee, US attorney Erik Siebert, because Siebert wouldn’t manufacture incriminating evidence on NY AG Letitia James.