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The Department of Justice on Wednesday fired Maurene Comey, a veteran prosecutor with the Southern District of New York who worked on the federal government’s cases against disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice and former socialite, Ghislaine Maxwell. The move comes as President Donald Trump has lashed out at conservative critics upset over how he and his administration have sought to debunk Epstein conspiracy theories Trump helped perpetuate.
Though the Trump administration has yet to publicly address her surprise dismissal, sources tell the New York Times that Comey learned of her firing in a letter and that the document referenced the U.S. Constitution and the article pertaining to presidential powers.
Comey, who is also the daughter of former FBI director and frequent Trump foe James Comey, most recently served as the lead prosecutor in the federal sex-trafficking case against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Earlier this month, Combs avoided conviction on trafficking and racketeering charges but was found guilty on prostitution charges, which carry a lower potential sentence, a result seen as a stunning loss for the storied Manhattan office.
For some, Maurene Comey’s firing signaled a continuation of the Trump administration’s targeting of his political enemies as well as federal workers he sees as out of line with his beliefs. Comey’s father recently came under fire for a critical tweet about the president, and it was later reported that the former FBI director was placed under surveillance by the Secret Service following the incident. The Justice Department has also fired prosecutors who previously worked on cases related to the January 6 riot in the U.S. Capitol.
But for others, her dismissal only raises more questions about Trump’s handling of the fervor around the Epstein case. It was earlier this month that the FBI and the Justice Department issued a joint memo that shot down central conspiracy theories about the case, stating that Epstein did in fact die by suicide ahead of his federal trial and that there’s no list of his alleged sex-trafficking clients. But as the announcement roiled Trump’s base — which expected the Epstein revelations promised by Trump and his appointees — the president has sought to wave off the situation and has urged his supporters, via social media, to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
Firing Comey is unlikely to silence any of the doubters on either side of the aisle. Far-right commentator Laura Loomer, who has called for a special counsel to address the Epstein situation, shared a tweet that said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will need to explain why Comey’s firing took so long. In an interview on MSNBC, California state senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat, said Comey’s background raises questions about why the Trump administration would fire her.
“Either she was fired because she’s James Comey’s daughter — which would be totally inappropriate and a wrongful termination — or she was fired because she was prosecuting Epstein and his accomplices. And why would they fire her over that? And why would they fire her now?” Schiff said.
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