US prosecutor in Epstein, Maxwell cases sues Trump administration over firing
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Ms Maurene Comey, then a federal prosecutor, at a news conference in New York about the sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein, on July 8, 2019.
PHOTO: JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NYTIMES
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NEW YORK - Ms Maurene Comey, the federal prosecutor who handled the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and whose father is a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump, filed suit on Sept 15 over her firing.
She is the daughter of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James Comey, and was summarily dismissed in July from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan.
In a lawsuit filed in a federal court in New York against the office of the president, the Justice Department and others, Ms Comey said she had an “exemplary” record and her firing was “unlawful and unconstitutional”.
Ms Comey, who prosecuted a number of major cases during her 10 years in the US attorney’s office, said she was never given any explanation for her dismissal.
“In truth, there is no legitimate explanation,” the lawsuit said. “Rather, the defendants fired 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, Mr 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.
Ms Comey was dismissed a week after the Justice Department confirmed that it had opened an unspecified criminal investigation into her father, a long-time Trump adversary.
It also came amid mounting pressure on Mr Trump to release material from the probe into Epstein
Ms 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.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking of underage girls.
Ms Comey’s father has had a contentious history
Mr 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. AFP
