The Trump administration fired two federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia who voiced opposition to the criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, a high-ranking Justice Department source familiar with the matter told CBS News.
Kristin Bird and Elizabeth Yusi were terminated Friday from their posts as assistant U.S. attorneys in the Eastern District of Virginia’s Norfolk office, where James’ case is being prosecuted. Yusi, according to her LinkedIn profile, had been an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District since 2010. Bird’s LinkedIn profile says that she had worked in the office since 2019 and was the deputy chief of the Narcotics and Violent Crime Unit. Her profile now says she’s in the private sector.
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These firings continue an ongoing purge in the office, after the ouster of Erik Siebert, the former interim U.S. attorney who did not bring cases against James or former FBI Director James Comey.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
There have been other firings, too, including the office’s top national security official, Michael Ben’Ary. He contends that he was fired because far-right social media figure Laura Loomer criticized him on X, but the Justice Department has not commented.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Maggie Cleary left her post just weeks after taking the position. She briefly led the Eastern District of Virginia last month, shortly after Siebert’s departure from the office. Cleary had told the staff that she was Siebert’s replacement, but days later, former White House aide and Trump personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney. Less than a week after taking office, Halligan brought criminal charges against Comey, accusing him of lying to Congress.
James is scheduled to be arraigned Friday, but it is not yet clear who will represent the Justice Department at the hearing because of the firings. Halligan secured James’ indictment from a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, and has never appeared in the Norfolk federal court.
James’ defense lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has retained a former Norfolk-based assistant U.S. attorney, Andrew Bosse, to serve as local counsel at James’ arraignment and in future proceedings
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
