Former Federal Prosecutor Sues Over Dismissal, Claims Political Motivation

NEW YORK — Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor and daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, filed a lawsuit Monday against the Department of Justice, the Executive Office of the President, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging her July 2025 dismissal from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York was politically motivated and lacked cause.

The lawsuit claims Comey’s termination on July 16, 2025, came without notice or opportunity to contest, one day after she was asked to lead a major public corruption case and three months after receiving an “Outstanding” performance review. The filing states she was informed of her firing via an email citing “Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States” without further explanation.

Comey, who served nearly a decade in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, prosecuted high-profile cases involving Sean “Diddy” Combs, former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell. The suit suggests her dismissal was tied to her father’s tenure as FBI director, who was fired by President Donald Trump in 2017.

According to the lawsuit, then-interim U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton told Comey her termination directive “came from Washington” but provided no further details. The suit also alleges conservative activist Laura Loomer targeted Comey on social media, calling for her and her husband’s removal from the Department of Justice. The filing clarifies Comey’s husband, Lucas Issacharoff, had voluntarily resigned from the department in May 2025.

In a letter to colleagues after her dismissal, Comey warned that firing a career prosecutor without cause could foster fear among remaining prosecutors, stating, “Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.”

Comey seeks reinstatement to her position and back pay through the lawsuit.