DOJ Fires 2 Prosecutors
The Trump administration’s recent firings of two federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia marks the latest chapter in what increasingly appears to be a sweeping effort to reshape the Justice Department’s internal ranks amid high-stakes prosecutions targeting prominent political adversaries—including New York Attorney General Letitia James.
According to a high-level DOJ source who spoke to CBS News, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristin Bird and Elizabeth Yusi were both terminated last Friday from their posts in the Norfolk office—where the James case is being prosecuted.
Both prosecutors had reportedly expressed opposition to the case against James, who was recently indicted by a grand jury for undisclosed charges and is scheduled to be arraigned later this week.
Bird and Yusi’s departures come on the heels of a broader—and fast-moving—personnel purge within the same district. Notably, their former boss, interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, was ousted earlier this year after declining to pursue criminal charges against both James and former FBI Director James Comey. Siebert’s removal, and the rapid installation of Trump loyalist and former White House aide Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. Attorney, appears to have marked a turning point.
Since then, the Eastern District of Virginia—once seen as a relatively stable prosecutorial stronghold—has become a revolving door. Top national security prosecutor Michael Ben’Ary was dismissed following public criticism by far-right commentator Laura Loomer. And First Assistant U.S. Attorney Maggie Cleary left her post just weeks after assuming it, following confusion over who was actually in charge.
Within a week of taking office, Halligan secured an indictment against Comey, accusing him of lying to Congress. She then turned her attention to James—long a political lightning rod for Trump and a central figure in civil investigations into his business empire.
The speed and scope of these developments have raised serious questions about the use of prosecutorial power, the independence of U.S. Attorneys, and whether longstanding norms around impartial justice are being discarded in favor of political loyalty.
While the Justice Department has declined to comment, the facts suggest a clear pattern: prosecutors who hesitated to advance politically sensitive cases have been removed. In their place are loyalists, hand-picked and fast-tracked into positions of authority. And all of this comes as Trump, now returned to office, makes good on his earlier promises to "clean house" within federal law enforcement.
It’s not yet clear who will represent the DOJ in James’ arraignment, given the abrupt reshuffling. James, for her part, has retained powerhouse defense attorney Abbe Lowell, along with former Norfolk AUSA Andrew Bosse as local counsel—a clear sign that her team expects an aggressive and protracted legal battle.