Maurene Comey, who prosecuted Diddy and Epstein, says she was fired by DOJ ‘without reason
By Joe Marino, Ben Kochman, Larry Celona, Priscilla DeGregory and Emily Crane
President Trump Upset with Constant Epstein Case Questions | July 17, 2025
Maurene Comey, the daughter of ex-FBI Director James Comey, said Thursday she was fired from the powerful Manhattan US Attorney’s Office “without reason” — as she warned that the Justice Department‘s decision to ax her will only sow alarm and that “fear is the tool of a tyrant.”
“Yesterday was unexpectedly my last day in the Office. I was summarily fired via memo from Main Justice that did not give a reason for my termination,” Comey wrote in an email to colleagues, which was obtained by The Post.
Comey — a veteran lawyer in the Southern District of New York, where she prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and, most recently, Sean “Diddy” Combs – went on to suggest that her firing without apparent reason was an abuse of power.
Maurene Comey, Assistant U.S. Attorney, leaving a courthouse.
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Maurene Comey, assistant US attorney and prosecutor on the case, exits the federal courthouse during the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial.
REUTERS
“If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Do not let that happen,” Comey wrote.
“Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought,” she continued.
“Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else.”
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Comey was informed Wednesday that she was being booted under Article II of the Constitution, which describes the powers of the president, according to multiple sources.
Her ouster came just weeks after Combs’ nearly month-long trial, which she worked on with five other federal prosecutors, ended with the jury acquitting the disgraced hip-hop mogul of the most serious charges against him — racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
She’d previously worked on the prosecutions of disgraced financier pedophile Epstein and his madam, Maxwell, who was found guilty of multiple sex crimes at trial in 2022 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Courtroom sketch of Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial.
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Comey claims she was fired from the powerful Manhattan US Attorney’s Office “without reason.”
REUTERS
“This was inevitable,” one US attorney source told The Post. “On paper, you can say it was merit based because of her connection to the P Diddy case and the Epstein stink.”
The source added “it would not be a stretch to say her father didn’t help her career,” referring to the president’s long-running tiff with the elder Comey, whom Trump fired as FBI director in 2017 during his first term.
Legal experts described Comey’s firing as “highly unusual” – also speculating the reason was more about her father than her track record.
Maurene Comey on a phone call.
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She warned that the Justice Department’s decision to fire her will only sow fear.
AP
“It’s highly unusual and unprecedented. Obviously, there have been prosecutors fired for losing cases. It’s very rare,” former prosecutor Neama Rahmani said.
“The Diddy case, I believe it was mishandled, bungled, botched whatever adjective you want to use, but they still got a conviction. They are still going to try to get time. I think it has to do with her father,” he said.
“She was able to convict Ghislaine Maxwell. Her credentials are solid. She has a decent track record despite the outcome in this case.”
Photo of Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey and colleagues at a press conference announcing charges against Jeffrey Epstein.
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Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey (left) listens as federal prosecutors announce sex trafficking and conspiracy charges against Jeffrey Epstein.
AP
A spokesman for Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton declined to comment Thursday on Comey’s termination. The Post reached out to the DOJ in DC but didn’t hear back immediately.
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The decision to boot Comey came as US Attorney General Pam Bondi faced intense MAGA backlash over the DOJ’s decision not to release any more evidence from the Epstein investigation.
Some right-wing internet personalities – including Laura Loomer, who has been critical of Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files — had been calling for Comey’s head.
James Comey at his FBI director confirmation hearing, smiling with his family in the audience.
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James Comey (left) at his FBI director confirmation hearing, smiling with his family in the audience.
AP
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan federal jail cell in 2019 before he could stand trial on federal charges of sex-trafficking minors in New York and Florida.
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