Case 1:25-cv-07625-JMF Document 55 Filed 04/28/26
Page 6 of 27
hundreds of criminal convictions, including in homicide, racketeering, and public corruption cases. Id. ¶¶ 1-2, 26-28. An “exemplary, dedicated and highly decorated” public servant, she was assigned to work on any number of high-profile cases, including those involving Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Dr. Robert Hadden, and Senator Robert Menendez. Id. ¶¶2, 26; see also id. ¶¶ 28-44. Comey’s supervisors and peers consistently lauded her work, describing her as a “brilliant lawyer and a gifted supervisor,” “the lawyer the office turns to when legal excellence is a must,” “an outstanding AUSA in every respect” with “judgment, work product, and courtroom advocacy [that are] among the finest in the country,” and a “tireless[]” worker who “represents the Department of Justice and the court of law in a professional manner.” Id. ¶¶ 2, 25. She earned promotions and countless accolades, including “outstanding” ratings in annual reviews as recently as April 25, 2025. Id. ¶¶ 2, 3, 25, 55.
Comey’s star in the U.S. Attorney’s Office never faded, as evidenced by the fact that, on July 15, 2025, she was asked to assume a lead role in a major public corruption case. Id. ¶¶ 3, 45-46. And yet, one day later, on July 16, 2025, she was abruptly fired. Id. ¶ 3. Not by the Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton. Nor in person. Instead, at 4:57 p.m., Comey received an e-mail from DOJ’s Justice Management Division, Director of Human Resources, which attached a memorandum from Francey Hakes, Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, titled “Memorandum for Maurene R. Comey.” Id. 47. The one-page memorandum stated in full:
Subject: Notice of Removal from Federal Service.
This memorandum provides official notice that you are removed from your position of Assistant United States Attorney, AD-0905-29, Criminal Division, Southern District of New York, Offices of the United States Attorneys, and from the federal service, effective immediately.
6
