Washington — Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor in New York who handled criminal cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, is suing the Trump administration over her firing in July, saying that her ouster was unlawful and unconstitutional.
“Ms. Comey’s termination — without cause, without advance notice, and without any opportunity to contest it — was unlawful and unconstitutional,” Comey’s attorneys wrote in a complaint filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. They wrote that their client was “an exemplary, dedicated, and highly decorated public servant” who was “repeatedly promoted” for her work on major cases.
Comey is also the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, who has publicly clashed with President Trump for years. In 2017, Mr. Trump terminated James Comey as FBI director, amid the department’s investigation into any ties between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia. James Comey is currently under a Justice Department investigation after he provoked an outcry from the Trump administration in May when he briefly posted a photo to Instagram that federal officials alleged was a call for violence against Mr. Trump. James Comey denied encouraging violence and deleted the post.
Before her firing in July, Maurene Comey was an assistant U.S. attorney in the high-profile U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, where she had worked since 2015. Her lawyers wrote that she was fired one day after she had “been asked to take the lead on a major public corruption case.” Just months before, she had received an “outstanding” review from supervisors, the complaint said.
“Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey. In truth, there is no legitimate explanation. 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,” Comey’s attorneys wrote, labeling her termination “politically motivated” and an overreach of presidential authority.
The complaint said Comey learned of her firing in a memo sent over email from a Justice Department official on July 16. The memo said: “Pursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States, your employment with the Department of Justice is hereby terminated, and you are removed from federal service effective immediately.”
Comey’s attorneys said she asked Jay Clayton, the interim U.S. attorney, for an explanation of her firing. “All I can say is it came from Washington. I can’t tell you anything else,” he replied, according to the complaint. Her lawyers said she received no other justification for her ouster.
Comey’s attorneys asked the court to order her reinstatement to the Southern District of New York’s prosecutor’s office and to block any adverse action against her without proper due process.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the suit.
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