Daughter of former FBI director James B. Comey and ex-prosecutor of the two most recent high-profile cases in the U.S., Maurene Comey is suing the Department of Justice and the Executive Office of the President after she was abruptly fired in July. But Neitizens believe the odds are stacked against her.
In the lawsuit filed on Monday, Sept. 15, in Manhattan, Comey alleges she was given no substantive reason for her firing, aside from a reference to Article II of the U.S. Constitution and the presidential powers of Donald J. Trump. Though she is not the only federal prosecutor dismissed under Trump’s administration, Comey has chosen to contest the decision. She argues that her removal was motivated less by law than by politics, namely, her perceived political leanings and her relationship to her father, a long-time adversary of Trump since the 2016 presidential election
“The politically motivated termination of Ms. Comey — ostensibly under ‘Article II of the Constitution’— upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system,” the lawsuit read. (via New York Times)
Comey, a 10-year veteran of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, rose to prominence after prosecuting Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. In her lawsuit, she names the Executive Office of the President, the Justice Department, and Attorney General Pam Bondi among the defendants, seeking reinstatement and back pay. She argues that her firing was retaliatory, tied either to “her father’s protected speech” or to her own perceived political affiliations and beliefs.
Her father, former FBI director James Comey, was himself dismissed by Trump in 2017 in what was widely viewed as a politically motivated firing. Maurene Comey now claims her removal reflects a continuation of that animus.
Social media users believe there’s a lack of basis in her lawsuit
Public reaction to the case, however, has been skeptical. Commentators on X argue that her case is unlikely to succeed, noting that Article II of the U.S. Constitution gives the president broad authority to appoint and remove executive branch officials, making her dismissal legally permissible even if politically contentious.
One user on X pointed out, “She’s not going to win in a stacked Federal and Supreme Court system after appeals,” while others criticized her track record, arguing, “Being bad at your job and getting fired from it is not unlawful and constitution. It’s being fired for poor performance.” Legal precedent appears to back that skepticism: the vast majority of appeals challenging the dismissal of federal employees have been decided in the administration’s favor. As a result, observers say Comey faces only a slim chance of winning.
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