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She replaces Erik Siebert, who resigned amid a push by Trump administration officials to bring criminal charges against in a mortgage fraud investigation.

鈥淲hile this appointment was unexpected, I am humbled to be joining your ranks,鈥� Cleary told employees in the email.

Cleary will take over an office in tumult over political pressure by administration officials to criminally charge James, a longtime foe of President Donald Trump. The investigation stems from alleged paperwork discrepancies on James’ Brooklyn townhouse and a Virginia home.

The Justice Department has spent months conducting the investigation but has yet to bring charges, and there鈥檚 been no indication that prosecutors have managed to uncover any degree of incriminating evidence necessary to secure an indictment. James鈥� lawyers have vigorously denied any allegations and characterized the investigation as an act of political revenge.

While Siebert said in an email to colleagues Friday evening that he had submitted his resignation, Trump said in a social media post: “He didn鈥檛 quit, I fired him!” Trump noted he was backed by the state鈥檚 two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, adding: 鈥淣ext time let him go in as a Democrat, not a Republican.鈥�

Cleary recently rejoined the Justice Department as a senior counsel in the criminal division after working as a prosecutor in the Culpepper Commonwealth’s Attorneys Office. She also worked as deputy secretary of public safety in Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration and later served in Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office.

Cleary wrote in an article for The Spectator World earlier this year about being wrongly identified in a photo as having been present on Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 riot. Cleary, who at the time was working as a federal prosecutor in the Western District of Virginia, wrote: 鈥淓veryone knew I was a conservative. It was all over my resume. I was in leadership in my local Republican Committee. But I had not gone to the Capitol that day.鈥�

She described being placed on administrative leave and interviewed by agents before later being cleared to return to work.

鈥淚n the last four years, I’ve been somewhat cautious about sharing my experience, but now, while Donald Trump is president, I feel emboldened to finally tell how, I, too, was targeted politically,鈥� Cleary wrote.

At the time the article was published in May, she was interviewing to serve as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Cleary said she wanted that job 鈥渢o end this type of treatment.鈥�