President Donald Trump declared early Saturday that Interim U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert did not resign from his post in Virginia but was instead fired, escalating tensions over the federal government’s handling of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Siebert, who had served as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) since early this year, announced his resignation Friday evening in a message to staff. He praised the office’s work and described his eight-month tenure as an honor.

“EDVA, This evening, I submitted my resignation as Interim US Attorney for EDVA. For the last eight months, I have had the pleasure of leading the finest and most exceptional of DOJ employees, who care deeply about our nation and our EDVA community,” Siebert wrote in the email obtained by multiple outlets. “Thank you for the lessons you have taught me, the sacrifices you have made, and the pursuit of justice you strive for every day. Forever in debt to my EDVA family.”

The resignation came hours after Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he wanted Siebert “out” following questions about the prosecutor’s decision not to pursue a case against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Asked directly by ABC’s Jonathan Karl whether he intended to fire Siebert, Trump responded: “Yeah, I want him out. Yeah. When I learned that he was blue-slipped through by two Democrat senators in Virginia, people that would never vote for it, people that haven’t voted for us for probably years, okay, probably years.”

Trump criticized Virginia’s Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, who had supported Siebert’s nomination. “In my opinion, two bad guys, you know, they are Warner and Kane, two big guys, bad senators, too. They do a terrible job for the people of Virginia. But when I saw that he got approved by these two terrible people … I said, I don’t really want him.”

The president suggested Siebert’s approval by the two Democrats made him unfit for the post, even though the “blue slip” tradition — where home-state senators weigh in on judicial and prosecutorial nominees — has long applied to both parties. “It’s not a law, it’s a custom. It’s a ridiculous custom, but if you had a Democrat senator, you have to get that senator’s approval,” Trump said.

Siebert was originally nominated by Trump in May with the backing of Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin.

Trump later repeated his position in a Truth Social post just after midnight, writing: “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. 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! President DJT.”

The dispute followed questions about whether federal prosecutors would pursue James, the New York attorney general who successfully brought civil fraud charges against Trump before his return to the White House. Trump has repeatedly accused her of misconduct and signaled interest in federal prosecutions.

In the Oval Office exchange Friday, Trump suggested Siebert had not been aggressive enough in handling the matter. “It looks to me like she’s very guilty of something, but I really don’t know,” Trump said of James. “When I saw that [Siebert] got approved by those two men, I said, pull it, because he can’t be any good.”

The Justice Department has not commented publicly on Siebert’s departure. His resignation letter made no reference to James or to Trump’s remarks earlier in the day.