FILE PHOTO: New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference following a ruling against former U.S. President Donald Trump ordering him to pay $354.9 million and barring him from doing business in New York State for three years, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., February 16, 2024. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado/File Photo

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. Justice Department lawyer who once said former President Joe Biden's administration targeted her for being conservative told colleagues in an email on Saturday that she was named to replace a top prosecutor overseeing an investigation of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

In an internal email seen by Reuters, Mary "Maggie" Cleary told attorneys she had been unexpectedly tapped as acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing Erik Siebert who resigned on Friday after President Donald Trump said he wanted him out.

Cleary did not immediately respond to an email from Reuters seeking comment.

Trump administration officials previously told Siebert that the president was frustrated his office had not yet brought criminal mortgage fraud charges against James, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The office is also involved in a second probe targeting former FBI Director James Comey, who like the New York attorney general is one of Trump's political rivals. That probe is tied to the bureau's prior investigation of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

In the probes against both officials, Siebert had previously told officials that he did not believe the evidence was strong enough to bring charges, the sources told Reuters.

Cleary recently served as a deputy commonwealth attorney in Culpeper County, Virginia, according to her biography on the University of Virginia's Law School page where she is listed as a lecturer. She previously worked briefly as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she returned to the Justice Department earlier this month where she has served as senior counsel in the Criminal Division.

Cleary later penned an article in "The Spectator World" in which she said she was framed by a person who said she was among Trump supporters in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In the article, Cleary said she was falsely identified as having been on the Capitol grounds that day, and was briefly investigated by the Justice Department. Within a few hours, she was cleared to return to work. Although she was never prosecuted, Cleary wrote in the article that she was targeted politically and she now feels emboldened to share her story since Trump is president again.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by David Gregorio and Edmund Klamann)