Warner, Kaine condemn Trump for 'forcing out' Interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert

WASHINGTON (CBS19 NEWS) -- U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.) are calling out President Donald Trump for forcing out Erik Siebert, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Siebert was reportedly pushed out after he refused to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump critic, due to a lack of evidence.

Trump had demanded the charges, but Siebert’s office said it found no grounds to move forward.

“Americans are asking for lower costs and better health care,” Warner and Kaine said in a joint statement. “But instead of focusing on that, Trump is busy threatening TV networks and removing prosecutors who won’t do his political dirty work.”

They added that Siebert, whom they both recommended and was nominated by Trump earlier this year, was removed simply for doing the right thing.

“The American people are begging for lower costs and for the Trump Administration to undo its attacks on their health care. But what is Trump focused on? Threatening to pull anyone who criticizes him on TV off the air. And now, pushing out the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia," wrote Kaine and Warner. "Erik Siebert is an ethical prosecutor who refused to bring criminal charges against Trump’s perceived enemies when the facts wouldn’t support it. The Eastern District of Virginia is at the forefront of significant cases essential to our national security, and just like any court in America, should be focused on justice instead of a thin-skinned president’s vendettas.”

Warner and Kaine recommended Siebert for the job in April after a bipartisan panel of respected Virginia legal experts reviewed candidates. Trump nominated him in May, but Siebert had been serving in an interim capacity while awaiting Senate confirmation.

It’s not yet clear who will take over or what impact Siebert’s removal might have on ongoing cases in the district.