Comey was involved in prosecuting cases against alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and, more recently, Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The reasons for her dismissal remain unclear, although a source with knowledge of the matter suggested that her association with James Comey, who is frequently critical of the administration, made her position difficult within the current government.
Maurene Comey’s dismissal comes as Trump faces growing pressure to release more information on Epstein, the disgraced financier.
Recently, the Justice Department issued a statement clarifying there is no Epstein “client list,” while the Trump administration declared it does not intend to release any further documents related to the investigation.
Epstein is a convicted sex offender whose criminal case has long captured significant public attention.
In 2019, while he was awaiting trial in a federal criminal case, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.
He was later pronounced dead at a hospital, and his death was ruled a suicide.
Maurene Comey was a lead prosecutor on the investigation and prosecution of Epstein and his former girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell was convicted and is serving a 20-year sentence. She has appealed.
The president also attacked the credibility of the federal investigation into Epstein on Tuesday, claiming that the files “were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by Biden (administration).”
Many of the president’s supporters hoped that releasing additional information on the case would implicate other high-profile figures, or undercut the notion that Epstein killed himself.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York also saw a significant leadership shakeup earlier this year when then-acting US Attorney Danielle Sassoon quit her post instead of dropping the federal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
A spokesperson for SDNY declined to comment on Comey’s firing. CNN has reached out to the White House and DOJ for comment.
