The Trump administration fired two federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia who expressed opposition to the criminal case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, a senior Justice Department source familiar with the matter reported on CBS News.

Elizabeth Yusi, a federal prosecutor with extensive experience in the Eastern District of Virginia, was fired Friday night, according to several people familiar with the matter, after informing colleagues that she found no probable cause to charge James. Her deputy, Kristin G. Bird, was also fired. Yusi had resisted Trump's repeated calls to bring charges against James, who has led multiple civil and criminal investigations into Trump and his business empire. Her firing came despite internal warnings that the case lacked legal merit. Earlier this year, the first assistant U.S. attorney, Maggie Cleary, left her post just weeks after taking office. She briefly led the Eastern District of Virginia last month, shortly after Erik Siebert's departure. Cleary had informed staff that she was Siebert's replacement, but days later, Lindsey Halligan, a former White House adviser and Trump personal lawyer, was sworn in as acting U.S. attorney. Analysts said the firings of Yusi and Bird are likely to cause more turmoil in an office that has already seen the departure of several top officials who told colleagues they believe their ousters were solely politically motivated. Halligan, a former Trump personal lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, thus secured an indictment against James for mortgage fraud. The case alleges that she misrepresented a property in Norfolk, Virginia, as a second home to obtain favorable loan terms. James has called the indictment a political operation.