DOJ Fires Two Deep State Prosecutors After Leaks Linked to Letitia James Case

The Department of Justice has dismissed two prosecutors from the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) as part of an internal shakeup following a series of leaks and growing tensions between career prosecutors and new Trump administration appointees.

According to reports from Politico and MSNBC on Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Yusi and Kristin Bird were terminated from their positions this week.

Three people familiar with the matter tell @MSNBC that the top two criminal prosecutors in the Norfolk office of the Eastern District of Virginia have been fired after expressing skepticism about the case against the New York Attorney General. With @lawofruby

— Ken Dilanian (@DilanianMSNBC) October 17, 2025

You would have to be pretty partisan to resist the indictment of Letitia James. Kind of horrifying to imagine how partisan you would have to be.

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 18, 2025

The firings came shortly after New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury in the same district on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.

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Sources cited by independent journalist Julie Kelly said Yusi and Bird were escorted from the EDVA offices and stripped of their security clearances after allegedly leaking sensitive case information to members of the press.

Sources tell me the prosecutors—Elizabeth Yusi and Kristin Bird—were fired, escorted from the building, and stripped of security clearances for leaking info on sensitive investigative matters to MSNBC and Fusion Ken in particular https://t.co/SgoPSBN5fv

— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) October 17, 2025

The Department of Justice has not commented publicly on the specific reasons for their removal but confirmed that internal disciplinary actions had been taken.

The firings are part of broader personnel changes inside the Justice Department since U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan took over leadership of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Halligan, who was sworn in last month, has been overseeing high-profile investigations involving senior state and federal officials.

Halligan secured the indictment of Letitia James last Thursday.

The federal indictment charged James under 18 U.S.C. §1344 for bank fraud and 18 U.S.C. §1014 for making false statements to a financial institution.

The case centers on a mortgage loan obtained for a property James owns in Norfolk, Virginia, known as the “Perrone Property.”

Court documents allege that James falsely represented the Perrone Property as a secondary residence while using it as a rental property in violation of loan terms.

The indictment states that the mortgage prohibited James from renting or allowing others to occupy the home under any form of shared ownership agreement.

However, filings show that James listed the Perrone Property as an investment property on her Schedule E tax form and reported rental income to the IRS, contradicting her stated loan application.

The indictment against James followed President Donald Trump’s recent decision to remove former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert from the post last month.

Siebert’s removal came after he reportedly declined to move forward with several politically sensitive cases, including investigations involving James, former FBI Director James Comey, and Rep. Adam Schiff.

After Siebert’s dismissal, Halligan assumed the role of Interim U.S. Attorney and promptly pursued multiple pending matters.

Within weeks, she brought an indictment against Comey related to alleged misconduct during his tenure at the FBI.

Friday’s developments also mark the latest in a series of personnel removals at the Department of Justice under the Trump administration.

Senior prosecutor Maya Song and national security attorney Michael Ben’Ary were dismissed earlier this month.

In a letter to his colleagues following his departure, Ben’Ary urged remaining DOJ staff to “continue to uphold the independence of their work” despite the changes in leadership.

Halligan’s office has not commented on whether additional dismissals are expected, but a Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that ongoing internal reviews are underway regarding misconduct and unauthorized communications with the media.

She remains free pending her initial court appearance, which is scheduled in the Eastern District of Virginia next week.

The Department of Justice has described the actions taken in recent weeks as part of a broader effort to “restore integrity and transparency” within the federal prosecution offices.

Officials familiar with the matter say additional indictments and staffing changes in the Eastern District are expected in the coming days.