After his termination as a federal prosecutor, Maurene Comey asked his colleagues to condemn “abuse of power.”
Maurene Comey, James Comey's daughter, former director of the Federal Investigation Office (FBI), has condemned President Donald Trump shortly after being fired from her role as federal prosecutor in the United States.
In a memorandum to colleagues obtained by Associated Press on Thursday, Comey wrote that, if a “career prosecutor can be fired for no reason, fear can be filtered in the decisions of those who remain.”
“Don't let that happen,” he said. “Fear is the tool of a tyrant, exercised to suppress independent thought.”
The memorandum occurred one day after Comey was fired from his role as an assistant prosecutor of the United States in New York for the Department of Justice.
The Trump administration has not yet provided a reason for Comey's dismissal. But his position had been seen for a long time as vulnerable due to his association with his father, who supervised an investigation into the alleged collusion between the Trump and Russia campaign during the 2016 presidential race.
Trump was fired by Trump at the beginning of his first term, but the former FBI director has remained the object of the president's wrath.
In the Testimonies of Congress, as well as in a 2018 book, James Comey has denounced the leadership approach “little ethical” and similar to Trump's mafia. He has also argued that Trump's decision to fire him was an effort to undermine Russia's investigation.
Since he assumed the position for his second term, Trump and his allies have tried to purge the employees of the Department of Justice involved in the cases with which he did not agree.
They include prosecutors who worked on the prosecutions of special lawyer Jack Smith, since he pursued two federal criminal accusations against Trump: one to retain classified documents while he was out of the office and the other for trying to subvert the 2020 elections.
Both cases were withdrawn when Trump was re -elected in November 2024. He is against the policies of the Justice Department to process a acting president.
Associated Press reported earlier this month that more career prosecutors, as well as support staff, involved in Smith's accusation, their work was completed.
Critics argue that the Trump administration's decision to fire these employees has eroded the independence of the Department of Justice. Many also point out that career civil officials do not choose their cases and, on the other hand, serve under any presidential administration, regardless of politics.
In his message to colleagues, Maurene Comey urged his fellow prosecutors to use their current situation to fight even more jealously for the rule of right and impartial law.
“Instead of fear,” he wrote, “let this moment feed the fire that already burns in the heart of this place.”
“A fire of fair outrage in abuse of power. Of commitment to seek justice for the victims. Of dedication to truth above all.”
Veteran lawyer
Before his dismissal, Maurene Comey had been a veteran lawyer for the Southern District of New York, often considered one of the main prosecution offices in the country.
He had recently prosecuted Sean “Diddy” combs, in a case that saw the musical producer declared guilty of transport positions at the end of prostitution, but acquitted for positions of conspiracy of extortion and sexual trafficking.
He had previously worked on the successful prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell for positions of sexual trafficking related to sexual abuse of minor girls from the children of the financial Jeffrey Epstein.
The dismissal occurs when Attorney General Pam Bondi faces the criticisms of the segments of the Trump Great Again (Maga) base for not release more evidence related to Epstein, including a complete accounting of her alleged “list of customers.”
Epstein died from suicide at a Manhattan detention center in 2019.
Some influential right Internet personalities, including Laura Loomer, have attacked Bondi and have also asked for the dismissal of Comey.
In addition, the US media reported that the Trump administration is currently investigating James Comey and the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan for his research on Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
At that time, the United States intelligence community concluded that Russia was looking to make the elections, but that there was not enough evidence to support the statement that Trump's campaign sought to Colude with Russian agents.
No more details of the informed research on Comey and Brennan have emerged.
