The Justice Department has dismissed Maurene Comey, a longtime federal prosecutor and daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, according to three sources, including one former DOJ official.
Two of the sources said Comey received a formal memo notifying her of the termination. One source noted the memo cited Article II of the U.S. Constitution — the section outlining presidential authority — as the legal basis for the dismissal.
Comey, who served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York since 2015, was the lead prosecutor in the high-profile criminal case against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. That trial resulted in an acquittal on the most serious charges, though Combs was convicted of interstate prostitution.
She also played a key role in the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein’s abuse of underage girls between the 1990s and early 2000s. Her conviction was later appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The firing comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Comey family. James Comey, who was fired as FBI director by President Trump in 2017 during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is currently under Justice Department investigation. In May, he drew condemnation from Trump allies after posting an Instagram image that federal officials interpreted as a veiled threat against the former president.
Maurene Comey previously clerked for Chief Judge Loretta Preska in New York and worked as an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton. She earned her law degree from Harvard in 2013 and her undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary in 2010.
