Federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was fired by the Justice Department on Wednesday, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
It was not clear why. One of the sources said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York cited Article II of the Constitution, which establishes the executive power of the president.
Nick Biase, a spokesperson for the Southern District of New York, declined to comment.
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Politico first reported Maurene Comey’s termination.
Comey prosecuted Sean “Diddy” Combs during his sex trafficking trial this year. She also played a role in the prosecution of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and the prosecution and conviction of his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
President Donald Trump is under intensifying political pressure from his MAGA base to release information related to the Epstein case. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announced last week that no further Epstein-related documents would be released.
The Justice Department and the FBI also released a two-page memo that contradicted multiple Epstein-related conspiracy theories, some of which have been propagated by Trump; Bondi, FBI director, Kash Patel; and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said that the firing of Maurene Comey was an effort by Trump to blame Democrats for a crisis Trump and his allies created.
“They created these conspiracy theories,” Schiff said in an interview on MSNBC. “They fed these conspiracy theories.”
The memo said an exhaustive FBI investigation had found no evidence that a list of Epstein’s clients, including prominent politicians and business figures, was being kept secret. The finding contradicted a statement by Bondi in an interview this spring that the Epstein “client list” was sitting on her desk and would soon be released.
The FBI investigation also found no evidence that Epstein engaged in blackmail and no grounds to prosecute any of his other associates. It also found that Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail in New York in 2019, rebutting assertions by some that he was murdered.
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” the memo said. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.”
Two federal law enforcement officials told NBC News on Wednesday that the Epstein memo was accurate. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there is no secret Epstein “client list.”
Trump tells supporters to move on
For years, Trump and his allies have accused Democratic officials and the FBI of hiding documents describing crimes committed by Epstein and his wealthy associates. During a clash with Trump this spring, tech billionaire Elon Musk claimed on social media that Trump opposed the release of the “Epstein files” because, he asserted, they include damaging information about Trump.
Trump vehemently denied those claims and has repeatedly urged his supporters to stop focusing on Epstein. So far, his efforts have largely failed.
In a setback for Trump earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., joined multiple other Republican House members in demanding the release of more Epstein documents.
Trump, without citing evidence, then accused James Comey, as well as former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, of creating false Epstein documents.
For years, Trump has attacked James Comey, who played a central role in launching a probe of Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
“I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden,” Trump told members of the media at the White House.
But the federal prosecution of Epstein, as well as his suicide, occurred in 2019 during Trump’s first term. James Comey, Biden and Obama were out of power at that time.
Trump’s second attorney general, William Barr, oversaw the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which operated the jail where Epstein died, and the indictment of Epstein in New York.
A former Justice Department colleague praised Maurene Comey’s work in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday.
“Maurene embodies all of the qualities you’d want in a prosecutor — intelligence, good judgment, compassion, and commonsense,” said the former colleague, who asked not to be named, citing fear of retaliation. “She was highly respected in the office for her leadership, advocacy and legal acumen.”