The US Department of Justice has fired federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI chief James Comey. In the recent past, she had worked on the trials against pedophile entrepreneur Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and against hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Currently, the reasons for her dismissal have not been disclosed. In recent weeks, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have faced a storm of criticism for their decision not to release additional documents related to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 after being convicted of sexual abuse and international child trafficking.
In February, Bondi hinted that she would release the list of the New York financier’s “clients,” before declaring last week that no “list” existed and that no further documents would be released.
The affair has shaken the MAGA movement, with many of the president’s supporters pointing the finger at his administration, accusing it of wanting to cover up the files. This week, Trump called his own supporters “weak,” saying he no longer wanted their support.
Comey’s dismissal also comes as the administration is investigating his father James, former head of the FBI and a target of the president’s hatred. The investigation is reportedly linked to Comey’s role in the inquiry into links between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia, as well as a recent Instagram post by the former FBI chief, which the president’s allies consider to have been a threat.
Last May, Comey posted a photo depicting shells arranged to form the number ‘8647’. In internet slang, 86 is a term that means to throw away, to get rid of and, in some cases, to kill. “8647” is a slogan that has long been used by opponents of Trump, the 47th president in US history. For this reason, the DHS accused the former FBI chief of inciting the assassination of the American leader.
For her part, Maurene Comey has been the target of renewed attacks from Trump’s supporters in recent months. In May, Laura Loomer, a well-known MAGA influencer and conspiracy theorist, asked Bondi to fire her. According to initial rumors, her dismissal was decided by the Justice Department headquarters.
The agency has begun purging several officials since the Republican president returned to office in January. Last week, Bondi fired at least 20 employees who had played a role in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s joint investigations into Trump’s attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election and the alleged mishandling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Several prosecutors who had indicted participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot were also fired.
