Latest news with #SDNY
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maurene Comey issues fiery memo after ouster from US attorney's office
Maurene Comey, a career federal prosecutor and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, issued a fiery memo a day after being ousted from her job at the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), telling colleagues that 'fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.' 'Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons without fear of retribution and without favor to the powerful,' Maurene Comey wrote in the Thursday message, which was obtained by multiple outlets. 'For the majority of my nearly ten years in SDNY, fear was never really conceivable. We don't fear bad press; we have the luxury of exceptional security keeping us physically safe; and, so long as we did our work with integrity, we would get to keep serving the public in this office,' she said. Comey was fired Wednesday from her post at the U.S. attorney's office, where she worked for nearly a decade. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing Thursday that the decision came from the Justice Department. Comey's father has had a contentious relationship with President Trump; he was fired during Trump's first White House term after helping kick-start the investigation into alleged ties between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. Maurene Comey's firing was largely seen as connected to her father. She worked on criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She was part of a team that brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide while awaiting trial in 2019. Comey was also on the team that handled the prosecution of Sean 'Diddy' Combs. 'Our focus was really on acting 'without favor.' That is, making sure people with access, money, and power were not treated differently than anyone else; and making sure this office remained separate from politics and focused only on the facts and the law,' Comey said in the memo, adding, 'but we have entered a new phase where 'without fear' may be the challenge.' 'If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Do not let that happen. Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought,' she continued. 'Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else.' James Comey recently came under criticism for posting a photo of seashells on the beach arranged to form the numbers 86-47, with the president claiming it was a call for his assassination. The former FBI chief called the backlash a 'distraction.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
James Comey's daughter who worked on Epstein case fired as federal prosecutor: Reports
Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was fired on Wednesday from her job as a prosecutor for the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), according to multiple news outlets. Maurene Comey worked on the criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that have troubled the Trump administration in recent weeks amid pressure to release further information about the financier's dealings. Comey was on the team that brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein, and he later killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. Comey has also handled other high-profile cases, including the prosecution of Sean 'Diddy' Combs. There was no specific reason given for her firing, according to The Associated Press, which cited a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Politico was the first to report on the firing. The Department of Justice declined to comment, and the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to request for comment. Politico first reported the development. Comey's firing comes after several recent dismissals of other career Justice Department officials. Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired several prosecutors who had worked on Jan. 6 cases, including former special counsel Jack Smith's team. Bondi on Friday also fired the top career ethics official at the Justice Department. And Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, disclosed Tuesday that a Chicago-based immigration court judge was fired shortly after meeting with him and giving him a tour. In dismissal letters, Bondi has routinely cited the second article of the Constitution, which establishes the presidency, as the authority for the removal. Comey's father has also had run-ins with the Trump administration. James Comey was fired as FBI director under the first Trump administration and has since been a vocal critic of the president. He recently came under scrutiny after sharing a photo of seashells arranged to read 86-47. While the White House claimed the message could be viewed as a threat on Trump's life, others noted the term originated in the hospitality industry, where it can refer to booting a customer or running out of a particular item. James Comey said he was unaware the term had any violent connotation. The New York Times reported that the Secret Service followed the former FBI director and tracked the location of his cellphone in the days after his post. Updated on July 17 at 7:41 a.m. EDT. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fmr. Assistant U.S. attorney: Trump order to release all Epstein grand jury testimony is just show
President Trump took to social media today to ask the DOJ to release all the Epstein grand jury testimony, a change from Thursday when he ordered 'pertinent' testimony to be released. Former SDNY Assistant U.S. Attorney and current Fordham Law adjunct professor Mimi Rocah joins Alex Witt to discuss what can be gleaned from those transcripts and if they can be released in the first place. Rocah also reacts to the firing of her former New York colleague, Maurene Comey, who played a part in pro Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NYC's sanitation department uses Coldplay jumbotron scandal in PSA reminding people not to dump trash: ‘Cameras are everywhere'
Don't get caught on camera looking like a garbage person! The city's sanitation department warned folks Friday not to get busted in footage dumping trash illegally in a cheeky nod to a viral story about a two-timing tech tycoon caught allegedly having an affair on a 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert. 'Cameras are EVERYWHERE! Don't get caught doing something you *maybe* shouldn't be doing,' the SDNY post declared in the Facebook post. The DSNY posted an announcement poking fun of two-timing CEO Andy Byron and his co-worker mistress Kristin Cabot. 'Thinking about doing something naughty, like dumping trash in the City? We've got video cameras all over. We WILL catch you — and you will pay the price!' The post features an image of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron cuddling his head-of-HR mistress, Kristin Cabot, in embarrassing jumbotron footage — which exposed the alleged cheaters at the concert near Boston Wednesday night. Next to it, the DNSY posted images of several people captured in surveillance camera footage apparently dumping trash illegally. Observers got a kick out of the post, with one user proclaiming, 'That's a criminal burn, brought to you by DSNY,' with a crying-laughing emoji. Byron and Cabot scrambled to hide their faces when they were broadcast on a the kiss cam canoodling at Gillette Stadium during the rock show Wednesday night. Byron and Cabot scrambled to hide their faces when they appeared on a 'kiss cam' at the concert. Grace Springer via Storyful 'Oh, what?' lead singer Chris Martin said, clearly confused. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' It wasn't immediately clear if the people captured dumping trash faced any consequences. A rep for the DSNY didn't return a request for comment Friday.
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Maurene Comey, fired by Trump, says ‘fear is the tool of the tyrant'
Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor and the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, told her former colleagues in an email that her sudden firing should 'fuel the fire' of their work fighting abuses of power. Comey, who worked on the Jeffrey Epstein and Sean 'Diddy' Combs criminal cases, was fired Wednesday by the Justice Department. 'If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain,' she wrote in a message to her former colleagues, which was obtained by CNN. 'Do not let that happen.' She continued: 'Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought. Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else.' Yesterday was unexpectedly my last day in the Office. I was summarily fired via memo from Main Justice that did not give a reason for my termination. Every person lucky enough to work in this office constantly hears four words to describe our ethos: Without Fear or Favor. Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons without fear of retribution and without favor to the powerful. For the majority of my nearly ten years in SDNY, fear was never really conceivable. We don't fear bad press; we have the luxury of exceptional security keeping us physically safe; and, so long as we did our work with integrity, we would get to keep serving the public in this office. Our focus was really on acting 'without favor.' That is, making sure people with access, money, and power were not treated differently than anyone else; and making sure this office remained separate from politics and focused only on the facts and the law. But we have entered a new phase where 'without fear' may be the challenge. If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Do not let that happen. Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought. Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else. It has been an honor to fight for those principles by your side. Maurene
