Maurene Comey, a top federal prosecutor whose cases included those involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, sued the Trump administration on Monday over her abrupt firing in July.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, claimed that she was terminated without cause or due process, and just three months after receiving an “outstanding” review.
“Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey,” her lawsuit stated. “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.”
The lawsuit named Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Justice Department, the Executive Office of the President and the Office of Personnel Management, among other defendants.
Comey’s father, James Comey, served as FBI director until 2017, when he was fired by Trump during his first term. Comey has been a critic of Trump, but also a target of the president’s attacks.
After the elder Comey posted on social media that the Trump administration considered a threatening message, and one that he took down, some of the president’s supporters called for his daughter to be fired, including Laura Loomer, the firebrand social media influencer.
Earlier in July, before her firing, a jury convicted Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3. Trump is said to have considered pardoning him, but he seemed to dismiss the possibility in an interview with Newsmax.
Her lawsuit claimed a violation of her constitutional rights and protections under the Civil Service Reform Act.
Comey’s lawsuit stated, “The politically motivated termination of Ms. Comey—ostensibly under “Article II of the Constitution”—upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system. 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. Congress recognized this essential proposition and, pursuant to its Article I powers, enacted the CSRA to place guardrails on the removal of AUSAs and other federal employees and ensure continuity and impartiality in government service.”
The DOJ and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
