Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after she was removed from her position as a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
“Despite her exemplary performance, Ms. Comey was abruptly fired on July 16, 2025, the day after the U.S. Attorney’s Office had asked her to take the lead on a major public corruption case and just three months after her latest receipt of an ‘Outstanding’ review,” the filing says. “Defendants did not identify any cause or provide Ms. Comey any due process for her removal.”
“Ms. Comey’s termination—without cause, without advance notice, and without
any opportunity to contest it—was unlawful and unconstitutional,” it notes. “In addition to her fundamental constitutional rights, Ms. Comey had statutory protections under the Civil Service Reform Act (‘CSRA’) that governed how and why she could be terminated, including specific prohibitions against termination for discriminatory reasons such as political affiliation. Her termination violated every one of those protections.”
“Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey. In truth, there is no legitimate explanation,” the complaint adds. “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.”
Following his daughter’s dismissal, Comey said the reservoir” of trust in the federal government is in “grave danger.”
“Trump and the hacks who lead the Department of Justice are hammering at the dam day after day, trying to turn it into just another gold-leaf-covered Trump subsidiary,” he said, adding, “Our best hope is that good people will stay and do what Maurene asked — have the courage to do the right thing, always. You may get fired for acting that way, but there’s honor in that and nothing but disgrace for those who don’t stand up.”
