US Justice Department Abruptly Fires Maurene Comey, Prosecutor In Epstein And Diddy Cases

Last Updated:July 17, 2025, 08:26 IST

Maurene Comey led high-profile US cases involving sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein and rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Maurene Comey is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. (Image: Reuters)

Maurene Comey, a veteran federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, has been fired from her post without explanation. The dismissal has raised questions given her prominent role in high-profile prosecutions and her family’s longstanding tensions with US President Donald Trump.

Comey had served nearly a decade in the SDNY and held the title of senior trial counsel. She was a lead prosecutor in several major cases, including the sex trafficking prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and the conviction of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence and has appealed. Most recently, she was part of a six-woman prosecution team in the racketeering case against Sean “Diddy" Combs. While Combs was convicted on prostitution-related charges, the jury acquitted him on the more serious sex trafficking counts, a verdict seen internally as a rare miss for the office.

Despite that, Comey was regarded as a highly capable prosecutor and had also delivered closing rebuttals in both the Combs and Maxwell cases.

Her firing came without any official reason. Politico, citing a person familiar with internal dynamics, reported that the decision to fire Comey did not come from SDNY’s interim US Attorney Jay Clayton, suggesting the move originated at DOJ headquarters in Washington.

The move is the latest in a string of dismissals at the DOJ that have triggered concerns over civil service protections being bypassed, particularly for prosecutors working on politically sensitive cases. Others recently let go include staff involved in the Capitol riot investigations and in special counsel Jack Smith’s ongoing prosecutions related to Trump.

Trump, Epstein Files, And Right-Wing Pressure

The firing comes at a moment of intense scrutiny over the Justice Department’s decision—under Attorney General Pam Bondi—not to release further evidence from its Epstein files. The DOJ had recently released a memo stating there was no “Epstein client list" and said it would not make additional documents public. That announcement drew backlash from Trump’s base, with some alleging a cover-up.

Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a prominent figure in pro-Trump circles, had called for Comey’s firing in May, according to CNN. Loomer also led online outrage over the DOJ’s refusal to release more Epstein-related material, directly blaming Comey and Bondi for what she described as obstruction.

On Wednesday, Trump himself responded to the backlash, posting on social media that the controversy around Epstein was “bullsh*t" and calling his own supporters who care about it “weaklings". A day earlier, he dismissed the Epstein files altogether, saying they “were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by Biden (administration)."

Comey’s termination also coincides with renewed focus on her father, former FBI Director James Comey. CNN reported that he is under investigation by the Trump administration for possible false statements to Congress, and that he was recently questioned by the Secret Service after posting a photo on Instagram showing seashells arranged to read “86 47." While critics interpreted it as a call to remove Trump (the 45th president), Comey denied any such intent.

James Comey’s relationship with Trump has long been adversarial. He was fired by Trump in 2017 after refusing to pledge personal loyalty at a private dinner, a moment Comey later documented in a memo. That firing came amid the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election—a probe that Trump has repeatedly labelled a “hoax" and “witch hunt." The following year, James Comey published a book likening Trump to a “mafia don."

Colleagues Rally In Support

Within SDNY, the firing left prosecutors stunned. On Wednesday evening, dozens of her colleagues reportedly walked her out of the building in a show of support. The office has been rocked by previous leadership changes as well—earlier this year, then-acting US Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned after refusing to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as instructed by the DOJ.

As of now, neither the DOJ nor the White House has issued a public statement about Maurene Comey’s dismissal.

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