James Comey’s daughter who worked on Epstein case fired as federal prosecutor: Reports
Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was fired on Wednesday from her job as a prosecutor for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), according to multiple news outlets.
Maurene Comey worked on the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that have troubled the Trump administration in recent weeks amid pressure to release further information about the financier’s dealings.
Comey was on the team that brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein, and he later killed himself in jail while awaiting trial.
Comey has also handled other high-profile cases, including the prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
There was no specific reason given for her firing, according to The Associated Press, which cited a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Politico was the first to report on the firing.
The Department of Justice and Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Politico first reported the development.
Comey’s firing comes after several recent dismissals of other career Justice Department officials.
Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired several prosecutors who had worked on Jan. 6 cases, including former special counsel Jack Smith’s team. Bondi on Friday also fired the top career ethics official at the Justice Department. And Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, disclosed Tuesday that a Chicago-based immigration court judge was fired shortly after meeting with him and giving him a tour.
In dismissal letters, Bondi has routinely cited the second article of the Constitution, which establishes the presidency, as the authority for the removal.
Comey's father has also had run-ins with the Trump administration.
James Comey was fired as FBI director under the first Trump administration and has since been a vocal critic of the president.
He recently came under scrutiny after sharing a photo of seashells arranged to read 86-47. While the White House claimed the message could be viewed as a threat on Trump’s life, others noted the term originated in the hospitality industry, where it can refer to booting a customer or running out of a particular item.
James Comey said he was unaware the term had any violent connotation.
The New York Times reported that the Secret Service followed the former FBI director and tracked the location of his cellphone in the days after his post.
Updated at 8:11 p.m. EDT.