(AFP) – A US judge ruled Tuesday that Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor who alleges her firing was politically motivated, can proceed with a lawsuit against the Trump administration despite government objections. Comey is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey — a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump — and was summarily dismissed in July as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan. She was fired a week after the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into her father.
Judge Jesse Furman overruled an attempt by the Trump administration to block Comey from pursuing in federal court a lawsuit which claims her dismissal was “unlawful and unconstitutional.” Furman scheduled a pretrial hearing at a Manhattan courthouse for May 28. In her lawsuit filed against the office of the president, the Justice Department and others, Comey said she had an “exemplary” record.
“In truth, there is no legitimate explanation,” the lawsuit said. “Rather, Defendants fired Ms Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both.”
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies, purging government officials deemed to be disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him, and pulling federal funding from universities.
Comey’s firing also came amid mounting pressure on Trump to release material from the probe into Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking. Comey was among the prosecutors who handled the case involving the wealthy financier, but it never went to trial because of his death. She also prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate who was criminally charged in connection with his activities.
Comey’s father has had a contentious history with Trump dating back to his first term in the White House. Trump fired the elder Comey in 2017, as the then-FBI chief was leading an investigation into whether any members of the president’s campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 election, in which the Republican beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
© 2024 AFP
