WASHINGTON ― Democrats are pushing the Justice Department for details on its decision to sack an experienced prosecutor in favor of one who would bring charges against former FBI director James Comey. President Donald Trump publicly urged the firing of Erik Siebert, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and urged his replacement with White House aide Lindsey Halligan. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) blasted the personnel switch in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday. “President Trump ― with you as a willing partner ― is obliterating centuries of prosecutorial independence and steering the Justice Department into dangerous new territory,” Raskin wrote. On Thursday, Halligan announced a grand jury indictment against Comey for allegedly making false statements to Congress in 2020. Siebert, appointed by Trump in January, reportedly refused to prosecute Comey because the case was weak. Halligan has no experience as a prosecutor. “President Trump is waging an unprecedented campaign of vengeance against his enemies,” Raskin said, demanding the Justice Department hand over all emails and other documents related to the personnel switch and the Justice Department’s policies on prosecuting political figures. Trump fired Comey as FBI director in 2017 for refusing to pledge his loyalty to the president. He has blamed Comey for not quashing an investigation into this 2016 campaign’s suspected collusion with the Russian government, and he openly cheered Comey’s indictment on Thursday, calling him one of America’s “worst human beings.” Normally, the White House is not supposed to direct the Justice Department’s criminal investigations for obvious political reasons. Since Democrats are in the minority, Raskin lacks subpoena power to compel the Justice Department to hand over information. However, the letter is one of many that could serve as a roadmap for oversight if Democrats take power following next year’s midterm elections. “The malicious prosecution against James Comey has no apparent basis in law or fact, and lawyers of good conscience in the department know it,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday. “Anyone complicit in this malignant corruption will face accountability.”Close