Maurene Comey, a top federal prosecutor and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was fired from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan on Wednesday.
Comey had worked on several major cases, including those involving Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and most recently, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
Maurene Comey, the prosecutor in the Epstein case, was fired by the Donald Trump DOJ on Wednesday
Highlights
- Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was fired from the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office without a clear reason given by the DOJ.
- Comey prosecuted major cases, including Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, gaining national attention for her work.
- Her firing was approved by Attorney General Pam Bondi under Article II of the Constitution.
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Sources from the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed the firing but gave no clear reason for the decision.
Comey was dismissed under Article II of the Constitution, which grants the president the power to remove federal officials.
An anonymous source familiar with the situation told CNN that Comey’s place in the administration was untenable, given that her father, James Comey, is “constantly going after the administration.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi signed off on the action.
U.S. President Donald Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in 2017, accusing him of mishandling the Russia investigation.
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He is also currently under investigation for possible false statements to Congress.
Back in May, he was questioned by the Secret Service after he posted a photo on social media showing seashells on a beach that spelled out “8647.”
“86” is a slang term for “to get rid of,” and 47 could refer to Trump as the 47th U.S. president.
James Comey denied his post was a call for violence against Trump.
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Maurene Comey served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York from 2015.
She gained national attention for helping prosecute Epstein and Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
She also led the recent prosecution against music mogul Sean Combs.
During Maxwell’s trials, many believed that Comey had been hand-selected to engineer a failed prosecution. She, however, led to Maxwell being convicted.
In the Diddy case, the musician was acquitted of the most serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but was found guilty of transporting women across state lines for prostitution.
Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported on court filings that revealed Comey filed a motion earlier in 2024 not to make Epstein-related records public in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
She argued that their release might interfere with any potential retrials for Maxwell.
This added fuel to the fire that is Trump’s MAGA base, who have been demanding transparency on the Epstein files fiasco.
Earlier in July, the DOJ released a memo stating that Epstein’s death was a suicide, and that there was no client list.
This has since sparked an uproar among Trump’s supporters, who demand transparency on Epstein’s alleged connection to intelligence services and the events that led to his death.
Back in May, right-wing influencer Laura Loomer publicly urged Bondi to fire Comey and her husband, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York Lucas Issacharoff.
The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for its secrecy regarding the Epstein files
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Last week, Loomer called for Bondi herself to resign over her handling of the Epstein files.
Trump’s response to the controversy has been to deflect questions, and most recently, to blame James Comey, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama for the files.
The firing of Comey has caused a backlash among critics of the administration, who accuse the Justice Department of using her removal as a political distraction.
“This firing is an effort by the DOJ to distract from its failures on Epstein, the J6 pipe bomb, Butler assassination plot and ongoing whistleblower retaliation,” former FBI agent Steve Friend told The New York Post.
“Removing Maureen Comey six months into the administration is like a fire department hiring an arsonist and expecting applause when they fire him after he’s already burned down a city block. Too little, too late,” he added.
“They are desperate for a win and distraction. The Comey-Brennan case is a distraction. They’ll never get charged. It’s a way for congressmen to have hearings.”
Comey’s firing has revived debates over how the federal government is handling the Epstein investigation.
According to Politico’s sources, dozens of prosecutors in the office banded together to escort her out of the office for the last time on Wednesday evening.