Maurene Comey's Head 'Just Rolled' Amid Epstein Backlash, Van Jones Says
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Maurene Comey, federal prosecutor in Manhattan who played a key role in the criminal cases against sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, marks "the head that just rolled" after being fired Wednesday, former Barack Obama adviser Van Jones said.
Newsweek previously reached out to the White House and Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment.
Why It Matters
The decision to dismiss Comey—former FBI Director James Comey's daughter—was delivered as the DOJ faces renewed scrutiny over its handling of evidence and records in the case against Epstein, the disgraced financier who in 2019 died by suicide in jail before his trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was convicted of the same charges and is serving a 20-year prison term.
Comey was informed of her firing in a letter that noted Article II of the U.S. Constitution in the decision, according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The Times first reported the firing, which was later picked up by ABC News and the Associated Press.
Comey played an integral role in prosecuting high-profile sex trafficking cases involving Epstein and Maxwell, proceedings that have cast a long shadow over U.S. and international legal and political arenas.
Her dismissal comes during a period of heightened public suspicion and political controversy, particularly among President Donald Trump's MAGA-aligned supporters who have voiced concerns about government transparency in the Epstein investigation, with pointed backlash at U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
What To Know
While speaking on CNN, Jones, former George W. Bush adviser Scott Jennings and CNN political commentator Ana Navarro were discussing Comey's firing and comparing it to the Signal chat scandal that plagued the Trump administration and included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Mike Waltz, then-national security adviser.
Waltz was removed from the position and nominated by Trump to be his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
"It's extremely disruptive, this would be true no matter who the president is, to go through getting rid of a Cabinet secretary of any kind, especially the attorney general. It is not worth it, and it's probably not warranted here," Jennings said while highlighting Trump's first six months in office.
"When Signalgate wouldn't go away, he [Trump] got rid of Waltz," Navarro said.
Jones later replied, "the head that just rolled is Comey's head. I mean, Comey's daughter, that's the head that just rolled."
"That's a distraction," Navarro replied.
"Exactly, it's a distraction, but I'm saying that's more likely," Jones said.
Former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin called Comey's dismissal "a disgrace to the Justice Department" while speaking on CNN Wednesday.
Van Jones attends the 85th Annual Peabody Awards on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)
Van Jones attends the 85th Annual Peabody Awards on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)
What People Are Saying
Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday: "The Radical Left Democrats have hit pay dirt, again! Just like with the FAKE and fully discredited Steele Dossier, the lying 51 'Intelligence' Agents, the Laptop from Hell, which the Dems swore had come from Russia (No, it came from Hunter Biden's bathroom!), and even the Russia, Russia, Russia Scam itself, a totally fake and made up story used in order to hide Crooked Hillary Clinton's big loss in the 2016 Presidential Election, these Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at - It's all they have - They are no good at governing, no good at policy, and no good at picking winning candidates.
"Also, unlike Republicans, they stick together like glue. Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bull***,' hook, line, and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years. I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country's history, and all these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.
"Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
What Happens Next
Members of Congress have said they will continue pressing for greater transparency regarding the DOJ's handling of the Epstein probe.
Official comment from the Southern District of New York or the DOJ on Comey's replacement is still pending, and further inquiries into sealed case records remain likely as policymakers and the public seek additional answers.
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