The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse is seen in this photograph, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Alexandria, Va. Mark Schiefelbein/AP
One of the foremost U.S. Attorney’s offices nationwide is experiencing escalating disarray following last week’s action by a prosecutor, appointed during the Trump administration, to indict former FBI Director James Comey.
In recent days, two leading attorneys in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia were terminated from their positions, sources confided to ABC, and lawyers within the office suspect that their dismissals were motivated by political retribution on the part of President Donald Trump.
Michael Ben’Ary, the office’s chief national security officer, was notified of his termination on Wednesday, merely hours after a pro-Trump activist posted on social media regarding his prior tenure in the office of former Biden-era Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, ABC News sources said.
The Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse is pictured, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Alexandria, Va.Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Ben’Ary, having advanced throughout the ranks of federal law enforcement over two decades, acted as the principal attorney in the matter of Mohammad Sharifullah – an alleged conspirator accused of aiding ISIS-K in the Abbey Gate bombing, whose case and extradition to the U.S. were declared by Trump in a joint address to Congress earlier this year. Sharifullah is slated to face trial in early December.
Another prosecutor, Maya Song, the former assistant to Erik Siebert — who was removed from his role two weeks prior under pressure from Trump — was terminated last Friday by Siebert’s replacement, Lindsey Halligan, according to sources familiar with the situation who spoke with ABC News.
FILE – Lindsey Halligan, special assistant to the president, speaks with a reporter outside of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, in Washington.Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Subsequent to Siebert’s departure, after he resisted demands to file charges against both Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Song opted to accept a demotion to the role of a regular prosecutor, sources had previously disclosed to ABC News.
Whether Song was provided with a specific justification for her dismissal remains uncertain, yet it occurred following a surge of censure from right-leaning influencers who had similarly emphasized her prior service under Monaco during the Biden administration.
FILE – Erik Siebert, interim U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, left, listen during a news conference at the Manassas FBI Field Office, March 27, 2025, in Manassas, Va.Rod Lamkey/AP
In a Truth Social communication last week, Trump insisted that Microsoft promptly dismiss Monaco from her freshly declared position as the company’s president of global affairs, referencing what he asserted was her immediate involvement in the legal actions he faced after his initial term in office concluded.
Sources informed ABC that the removals of Ben’Ary and Song are likely to further diminish morale within the already distressed office. The office, regarded as among the nation’s most vital prosecutorial bodies, manages the majority of the federal government’s most delicate national security cases.
ABC News has contacted the DOJ, Ben’Ary, and Song for their comments.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
