Justice Department fires Maurene Comey, prosecutor on Epstein case and daughter of ex-FBI director
There was no specific reason given for her firing, according to one of the people. They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.
Maurene Comey was a veteran lawyer in the Southern District of New York, long considered the most elite of the Justice Department's prosecution offices. Her cases included the sex trafficking prosecution of Epstein, who killed himself behind bars in 2019 as he was awaiting trial, and the recent case against Combs, which ended earlier this month with a mixed verdict.
She didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday.
It's the latest move by the Justice Department to fire lawyers without explanation, which has raised alarm over a disregard for civil service protections designed to prevent terminations for political reasons. The Justice Department has also fired a number of prosecutors who worked on cases that have provoked President Donald Trump's ire, including some who handled U.S. Capitol riot cases and lawyers and support staff who worked on special counsel Jack Smith's prosecutions of Trump.
Maurene Comey was long seen as a potential target given her father's fraught relationship over the last decade with the Republican president. The Justice Department recently appeared to acknowledge the existence of an investigation into James Comey, though the basis for that inquiry is unclear.
Most recently, she was the lead prosecutor among six female prosecutors in the sex trafficking and racketeering case against Combs. The failure to convict the hip-hop mogul of the main charges, while gaining a conviction on prostitution-related charges that will likely result in a prison sentence of just a few years, was viewed by some fellow lawyers as a rare defeat by prosecutors.
But she was successful in numerous other prosecutions, most notably the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges for helping financier Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. In that case, she delivered a rebuttal argument during closings, as she did in the Combs case.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
27 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Trump struggles to shake off Epstein scandal once stoked by his own allies
Trump supporters are asking the release of secret files on Jeffrey Epstein, who officials say died by suicide in a New York jail six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges AP Washington Despite the sun bearing down on him and the sweat beading across his face, President Donald Trump still lingered with reporters lined up outside the White House on Friday. He was leaving on a trip to Scotland, where he would visit his golf courses, and he wanted to talk about how his administration just finished the best six months ever. But over and over, the journalists kept asking Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein case and whether he would pardon the disgraced financier's imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. People should really focus on how well the country is doing, Trump insisted. He shut down another question by saying, I don't want to talk about that. It was another example of how the Epstein saga and his administration's disjointed approach to it has shadowed Trump when he's otherwise at the height of his influence. He's enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he's struggled to stamp out the embers of a political crisis that could become a full-on conflagration. Trump faces pressure from his own supporters The Republican president's supporters want the government to release secret files about Epstein, who authorities say killed himself in his New York jail cell six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. They believe him to be the nexus of a dark web of powerful people who abused underage girls. Administration officials who once stoked conspiracy theories now insist there's nothing more to disclose, a stance that has stirred skepticism because of Trump's former friendship with Epstein. Trump has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. For a president skilled at manipulating the media and controlling the Republican Party, it has been the most challenging test of his ability to shift the conversation in his second term. This is a treadmill to nowhere. How do you get off of it? said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist. I genuinely don't know the answer to that. Trump has demanded his supporters drop the matter and urged Republicans to block Democratic requests for documents on Capitol Hill. But he has also directed the Justice Department to divulge some additional information in hopes of satisfying his supporters. A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said Trump is trying to stay focused on his agenda while also demonstrating some transparency. After facing countless scandals and investigations, the official said, Trump is on guard against the typical playbook of drip-drip disclosures that have plagued him in the past. It's clear Trump sees the Epstein case as a continuation of the witch hunts he's faced over the years, starting with the investigation into Russian interference during his election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago. The sprawling inquiry led to convictions against some top advisers but did not substantiate allegations Trump conspired with Moscow. Trump's opponents, he wrote on social media on Thursday, have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM. During the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors were a straightforward foil for Trump to rail against. Ty Cobb, the lawyer who served as the White House's point person, said the president never felt exposed because he thought he had a legitimate gripe. The situation is different this time now that the Justice Department has been stocked with loyalists. The people that he has to get mad at are basically his people as opposed to his inquisitors and adversaries, Cobb said. It was Trump's allies who excavated the Epstein debacle In fact, Trump's own officials are the most responsible for bringing the Epstein case back to the forefront. FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, regularly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before assuming their current jobs, floating the idea the government had covered up incriminating and compelling information that needed to be brought to light. Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the paedophiles are, Patel said in a 2023 podcast. Attorney General Pam Bondi played a key role, too. She intimated in a Fox News Channel interview in February that an Epstein client list was sitting on her desk for review she would later say she was referring to the Epstein files more generally and greeted far-right influencers with binders of records from the case that consisted largely of information already in the public domain. Tensions spiked earlier this month when the FBI and the Justice Department, in an unsigned two-page letter, said that no client list existed, that the evidence was clear Epstein had killed himself and that no additional records from the case would be released to the public. It was a seeming backtrack on the administration's stated commitment to transparency. Amid a fierce backlash from Trump's base and influential conservative personalities, Bongino and Bondi squabbled openly in a tense White House meeting. Since then, the Trump administration has scrambled to appear transparent, including by seeking the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the case though it's hardly clear that courts would grant that request or that those records include any eye-catching details anyway. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the unusual step of interviewing the imprisoned Maxwell over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where her lawyer said she would always testify truthfully. All the while, Trump and his allies have resurfaced the Russia investigation as a rallying cry for a political base that has otherwise been frustrated by the Epstein saga. Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just weeks ago appeared on the outs with Trump over comments on Iran's nuclear ambitions, seemed to return to the president's good graces this week following the declassification and release of years-old documents she hoped would discredit long-settled conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The developments allowed Trump to rehash longstanding grievances against President Barack Obama and his Democratic advisers. Trump's talk of investigations into perceived adversaries from years ago let him, in effect, go back in time to deflect attention from a very current crisis. Whether it's right or wrong, Trump said, it's time to go after people. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
In US, Pakistan's foreign minister backs Donald Trump's 'ceasefire' claim as he meets Marco Rubio
Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar 'appreciated' US President Donald Trump and secretary of state Marco Rubio and their role in facilitating ceasefire with India. This statement from the Pakistani foreign ministry comes after the Republican leader's repeated claims that he prevented war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. US secretary of state Marco Rubio (R) greets Pakistani deputy Prime Minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar at the Department of State on Friday.(Getty Images via AFP) According to a statement by the Pakistan foreign office, Dar "appreciated the pivotal role" played by Trump and Rubio "in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India by facilitating a ceasefire." The statement came after Dar met Rubio in Washington on Friday. The statement clearly gives more fodder to Donald Trump's claims that he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the conflict arising out of New Delhi's Operation Sindoor in May. India has denied the claim. The US State Department also issued a statement after Ishaq Dar's meeting with Marco Rubio, but it did not mention India. Donald Trump's repeated claims about the India-Pakistan ceasefire Donald Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire he announced on social media on May 10 after Washington held talks with both sides. India disputes Trump's claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention and trade threats. According to the central government, the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan happened after the Pakistani director general of military operations called his Indian counterpart on May 10, requesting the same. India's position is that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve problems bilaterally and reject any third-party intervention. Operation Sindoor was in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India struck nine terror targets in PoK and Pakistan on May 7 after The Resistance Front (TRF) took responsibility for the attack. TRF is a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and has since been declared a designated terror organisation by the US. The two nations exchanged missile and drone attacks across three days, starting May 7. The ceasefire was declared on May 10.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
US Education Dept to release remaining withheld grant money for schools
President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than $6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities AP Washington The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programmes, the Education Department said Friday. President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than $6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programmes. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump. Last week, the Education Department said it would release $1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and non-profits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Those senators had also called for the rest of the money to be distributed, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language. The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programmes and will begin sending the money to states next week. US Sen Shelley Moore Capito, R-W Va, was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants. The programmes are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support, she said. She pointed to after-school and summer programs that allow parents to work while their children learn and classes that help adults gain new skills contributing to local economies. In withholding the funds, the Office of Management and Budget had said some of the programmes supported a radical leftwing agenda. We share your concern, the GOP senators had written. However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds. School superintendents had warned they would have to eliminate academic services without the money. On Friday, AASA, an association of superintendents, thanked members of Congress for pressing to release the money. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
