The Justice Department on Wednesday fired the lawyer who prosecuted the 2019 sex trafficking trial against Jeffrey Epstein amid controversy over the Trump administration’s refusal to release files related to the case.
Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director and Trump opponent James Comey, was fired from her position at the Justice Department’s office in Manhattan, according to multiple reports. Comey prosecuted Epstein during the first Trump administration before he was found dead in his jail cell.
No official reason was given for the firing, but The New York Times reported a letter sent to Comey from the Justice Department cited the president’s executive powers. Comey was reportedly against releasing files associated with the case, arguing the disclosure could interfere with the case of Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Comey later worked on the prosecution of Maxwell, who was convicted in December 2021 on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
In July 2019, Comey and the DOJ alleged that Epstein “worked with several employees and associates” to sexually abuse dozens of underage girls from 2002 to 2005.
“In creating and maintaining this network of minor victims in multiple states to abuse and exploit sexually, EPSTEIN worked with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with EPSTEIN at the New York Residence and at the Palm Beach Residence,” the Justice Department said at the time.
That case never went to trial after Epstein died in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
Her termination comes as the Trump administration has faced heavy scrutiny after a memo from the Justice Department said that it did not find evidence that Epstein had a client list or that powerful co-conspirators were involved in his child sex crimes. The DOJ also maintained that Epstein killed himself.
Trump said Wednesday that he didn’t understand why people were upset and lashed out at his “past supporters,” claiming that they are going along with “the Jeffrey Epstein hoax” pushed by Democrats and “have bought into this bulls*** hook, line, and sinker.”
“I don’t understand it, why they would be so interested, he’s been dead for a long time,” Trump replied. “He was never a big factor in terms of life. I don’t understand what the interest or what the fascination is, I really don’t. The credible information has been given.”
He also likened the questions about the case to the Russian collusion hoax.
“Don’t forget, we went through years of the Mueller witch hunt and all of the different things, the Steele dossier, which was all fake. All that information was fake,” he added. “I don’t understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It’s pretty boring stuff. It’s sordid, but it’s boring, and I don’t understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.”
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