Maurene Comey on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging her July dismissal from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), tying it to President Trump’s long-standing feud with her father, former FBI Director James Comey.
Maurene Comey, who worked on the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, said in the lawsuit that her employment was terminated without cause, without notice and without an opportunity to contest it.
“Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey. In truth, there is no legitimate explanation,” the complaint reads. “Rather, Defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both.”
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Maurene Comey on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging her July dismissal from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), tying it to President Trump’s longstanding feud with her father, former FBI Director James Comey.
Comey, who worked on the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, said in the lawsuit that her employment was terminated without cause, without notice and without an opportunity to contest it.
“Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey. In truth, there is no legitimate explanation,” the complaint reads. “Rather, Defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both.”
A career federal prosecutor, Comey worked at the U.S. attorney’s office for nearly a decade before she was abruptly let go in July.
In that time, she personally handled 11 criminal trials, secured more than 200 convictions, argued multiple appeals and supervised “numerous” additional federal investigations, trials and convictions, according to the lawsuit.
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In addition to the Epstein and Maxwell cases, which recently reignited amid pressure on the Trump administration to release new information about the financier’s dealings, Comey was also on the team that handled the prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Combs was convicted in July on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of more serious counts of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Maxwell was convicted on sex trafficking charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison. And Epstein killed himself in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
The day after she was fired, Comey issued a fiery memo telling colleagues to “do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons without fear of retribution and without favor to the powerful.”
“If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain,” Comey said in the note, according to the Associated Press. “Do not let that happen. Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.”
Comey is one of dozens of Justice Department employees who have been fired since Trump returned to the White House, given no reason other than the president’s wide-reaching powers under Article II of the Constitution.
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Her firing “upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system,” she claimed.
“Assistant United States Attorneys like Ms. Comey must do their jobs without fearing or favoring any political party or perspective, guided solely by the law, the facts, and the pursuit of justice,” the complaint reads. “Congress recognized this essential proposition and, pursuant to its Article I powers, enacted the CSRA (Civil Service Reform Act) to place guardrails on the removal of AUSAs and other federal employees and ensure continuity and impartiality in government service.
“The executive branch cannot use Article II to overrule Congress and remove career civil servants for perceived disloyalty,” it says.
Her suit, which seeks backpay, legal fees and reinstatement to her role, names Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Justice Department, the Office of the President and others as defendants.
However, Comey’s familial ties add an additional layer to her case.
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Comey’s father, James Comey, has become a vocal critic of the president since he was fired as FBI director during Trump’s first administration in 2017.
The firing became a focal point of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump sought to obstruct the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
In May, James Comey came under scrutiny after sharing a photo of seashells arranged to read “86-47,” which some interpreted as a threat against Trump. Others, however, noted the term’s origin in the hospitality industry, where it typically references running out of a particular item or kicking out a customer.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in May that Secret Service agents met with him to discuss the social media post. James Comey said he was not aware the term had any violent connotation.
