Editorials & Other Articles

Maurene Comey is suing the Trump administration over her firing as a federal prosecutor in New York, calling the move a “politically motivated” one that “upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system.”

In a complaint filed Monday, she says the government gave her no explanation for her abrupt firing in July. Her attorneys argue that “there is no legitimate explanation” but rather that she was fired “because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both.”.....

The complaint recounts that Comey’s firing came after a call from Loomer, a Trump ally who does not work for the government, to fire the prosecutor for being the daughter of James Comey, whom Trump fired from the FBI in his first term and who has criticized Trump since then. The complaint says that Maurene Comey asked the head of the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, about the basis for her termination and that he “responded, in sum and substance: ‘All I can say is it came from Washington. I can’t tell you anything else.’”.....

Comey’s lawsuit follows a recent one from fired FBI officials alleging lawless terminations, as the Trump administration continues to attempt to fire officials to consolidate the president’s power and apparently exact revenge. The administration will have an opportunity to respond to Comey’s complaint in court.