'He didn’t quit, I fired him!’ Trump lashes out at outgoing appointee in overnight rant

President Donald Trump announced the dismissal of his own appointee for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia late Friday night, justifying the move in a social media post by alleging that his choice for the position had gained “unusually strong” backing from his political opponents.

“Today I withdrew the nomination of Erik Siebert as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, when I was informed that he received the UNUSUALLY STRONG support of the two absolutely terrible, sleazebag Democrat Senators, from the Great State of Virginia,” Trump wrote shortly before midnight Friday on his social media platform Truth Social.

“He didn’t quit, I fired him! Next time let him go in as a Democrat, not a Republican. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Siebert served the Eastern District of Virginia as an assistant U.S. attorney starting in 2010, and was among those tasked with investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James, who last year launched and won a $464 million fraud case against Trump. Trump’s Justice Department launched a probe into James’ office for alleged mortgage fraud, but Siebert recently declined to seek an indictment against her after finding insufficient evidence.

It was not long after Siebert’s decision not to pursue charges against James in the criminal probe launched by Trump’s Justice Department that the president signaled he wanted Siebert out, telling reporters earlier on Friday “I want him out.”

Trump didn’t name Siebert’s refusal to prosecute James as the reason for his ousting, however, and instead named the support he had received from Virginia’s Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.

“When I saw that he got approved by those two men, I said, pull it, because he can't be any good," Trump said told reporters earlier Friday, ABC News reported. "When I learned that they voted for him, I said, I don't really want him."