‘Tool of a tyrant’: Maurene Comey, ex-FBI chief’s daughter, fired by Trump

Following her termination arsenic a national prosecutor, Maurene Comey called connected her colleagues to condemn ‘abuses of power’.

Maurene Comey — the girl of James Comey, the erstwhile manager of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) — has condemned President Donald Trump soon aft being fired from her relation arsenic a national authoritative successful the United States.

In a memo to colleagues obtained by The Associated Press connected Thursday, Comey wrote that, if a “career authoritative tin beryllium fired without reason, fearfulness whitethorn seep into the decisions of those who remain”.

“Do not fto that happen,” she said. “Fear is the instrumentality of a tyrant, wielded to suppress autarkic thought.”

The memo came 1 time aft Comey was fto spell from her relation arsenic an adjunct US lawyer successful New York for the Department of Justice.

The Trump medication has not yet provided a crushed for Comey’s firing. But her presumption had agelong been seen arsenic susceptible owed to her relation with her father, who oversaw an probe into alleged collusion betwixt Trump’s run and Russia during the 2016 statesmanlike race.

The elder Comey was fired by Trump aboriginal successful his archetypal term, but the erstwhile FBI manager has remained the subject of the president’s ire.

In congressional testimonies arsenic good arsenic a 2018 book, James Comey has decried Trump’s “unethical” and mafia-like attack to leadership. He has besides argued that Trump’s determination to occurrence him was an effort to undermine the Russia investigation.

Since taking bureau for his 2nd term, Trump and his allies person sought to purge Department of Justice employees progressive successful cases helium disagreed with.

They see prosecutors who worked connected peculiar counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions, arsenic helium pursued 2 national transgression indictments against Trump: 1 for withholding classified documents portion retired of bureau and the different for attempting to subvert the 2020 election.

Both cases were dropped erstwhile Trump was re-elected successful November 2024. It is against the Justice Department’s policies to prosecute a sitting president.

The Associated Press reported earlier this period that much vocation prosecutors, arsenic good arsenic enactment staff, progressive successful Smith’s indictment had their jobs terminated.

Critics reason that the Trump administration’s determination to occurrence specified employees has eroded the Justice Department’s independence. Many besides constituent retired that vocation civilian servants bash not take their cases and alternatively service nether whichever statesmanlike medication is successful office, careless of politics.

In her connection to colleagues, Maurene Comey urged her chap prosecutors to usage their existent predicament to combat adjacent much zealously for the just and impartial regularisation of law.

“Instead of fear,” she wrote, “let this infinitesimal substance the occurrence that already burns astatine the bosom of this place.”

“A occurrence of righteous indignation astatine abuses of power. Of committedness to question justness for victims. Of dedication to information supra each else.”

Veteran lawyer

Prior to her firing, Maurene Comey had been a seasoned lawyer for the Southern District of New York, often considered 1 of the apical prosecution offices successful the country.

She had astir precocious prosecuted Sean “Diddy” Combs, successful a case that saw the euphony shaper recovered blameworthy connected charges of proscription for the purposes of prostitution, but acquitted connected charges of racketeering conspiracy and enactment trafficking.

She had antecedently worked connected the palmy prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell connected sex-trafficking charges connected to financier Jeffrey Epstein’s intersexual maltreatment of underage girls.

The firing comes arsenic Attorney General Pam Bondi faces disapproval from segments of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) basal for not releasing much grounds related to Epstein, including a afloat accounting of his alleged “client list”.

Epstein died by termination successful a Manhattan detention centre successful 2019.

Some influential right-wing net personalities, including Laura Loomer, person attacked Bondi and besides called for Comey’s firing.

In addition, US media outlets person reported that the Trump medication is presently investigating James Comey and erstwhile manager of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan for their probe into Russian interference successful the 2016 election.

At the time, the US quality assemblage concluded that Russia did question to meddle successful the election, but that determination was not capable grounds to enactment the assertion that the Trump run sought to collude with Russian agents.

Further details of the reported probe into Comey and Brennan person not emerged.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies