--- description: Her sacking comes amid heightened interest into cases about late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. title: Who Is Maurene Comey, the Fired U.S. Attorney and Prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0a015ead9589e43/6998c84966d4e36b48cbca77/GettyImages-1158905277.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Donald Trump](/tag/donald-trump/) ## Donald Trump Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Who Is Maurene Comey, the Fired U.S. Attorney and Prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein? ## Video: Trump Decries ‘Jeffrey Epstein Hoax’ and Mocks Those Still Raising Issue [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Decries ‘Jeffrey Epstein Hoax’ and Mocks Those Still Raising Issue](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W8YMWpKS.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2025-07-16. The outburst followed weeks of mounting pressure on Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s reversal on long-promised disclosures related to the Epstein investigation. The Trump Administration has now insisted that no “client list” exists—despite years of signaling otherwise._  by [Chad de Guzman](/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jul 17, 2025 2:37 PM CUT  Maurene Comey exits from federal court in New York on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. Maurene Comey exits from federal court in New York on Wednesday, July 31, 2019.Peter Foley—Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jul 17, 2025 2:37 PM CUT The Department of Justice has abruptly fired a prosecutor who worked on the case against the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and [Sean “Diddy” Combs](https://time.com/7299214/sean-combs-diddy-trial-verdict-sentencing/ "undefined"). Maurene Comey was fired Wednesday from her job in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/16/maurene-comey-fired-doj-00458921 "undefined") first reported. [CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/16/politics/maurene-comey-fired-sdny "undefined") and the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-james-comey-maurene-trump-dda5d1f40f08346bd97696ce4791e8ec "undefined") also reported on Comey’s firing, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation. While the reason remains unclear, Comey’s firing comes at a time of heightened interest in the Trump Administration’s handling of the so-called Epstein files. A [memo](https://time.com/7300378/epstein-client-list-suicide-blackmail-conspiracy-theories-doj-fbi-memo/?? "undefined") released last week by the Justice Department and FBI effectively dismissed the existence of an Epstein “client list,” and said that the agencies will disclose no further information on the case. Some high-profile supporters of President Trump have [criticized the decision](https://time.com/7302441/epstein-trump-bondi-republicans-maga/ "undefined"). During his campaign for the presidency, Trump had promised to release the Epstein files and [had fueled intrigue in his death](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-years-including-2024-campaign-trail/story?id=123778541 "undefined"). Epstein died by suicide in 2019 at a New York correctional center while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Trump [shrugged off](https://time.com/7302661/trump-jeffrey-epstein-hoax/ "undefined") outrage this week over the Epstein files and rebuked his own supporters for buying into a “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.” **Read More:** [_A Timeline of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein’s Relationship as It Draws Renewed Attention_](https://time.com/7302268/donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-timeline-relationship-2/?amp=true "undefined") When asked about Comey’s firing, the White House referred TIME to the Justice Department, which has not immediately responded to a request for comment. ## Who is Maurene Comey? Comey had worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) since November 2015, and has served leadership roles in its public corruption unit and violent and organized crime unit. Comey is the daughter of former FBI Director [James Comey](https://time.com/4775430/the-comey-misfire/ "undefined"), who led SDNY from 2002 to 2003\. Trump [fired James Comey](https://time.com/4774493/james-comey-fired-donald-trump-election/ "undefined") in May 2017 over his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails, but Democrats have said the move was a result of the FBI investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia. James Comey, who is seen as an adversary of Trump, was [recently followed](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/us/politics/james-comey-secret-service.html "undefined") by law enforcement after sharing a post on social media critical of the U.S. President. The FBI is also investigating the elder Comey for possible [false statements to Congress](https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/comey-brennan-ratcliffe-fbi-cia-referral "undefined"). A person familiar with Maurene Comey’s firing [told](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/16/politics/maurene-comey-fired-sdny "undefined") CNN that being a Comey is impossible in this Administration as her father is “constantly going after the Administration.” Comey is married to Lucas Issacharoff, who works at SDNY’s Civil Division as an assistant attorney. As a federal attorney, Comey has also taken on high-profile cases. Among them are the prosecutions of Treasury Department whistleblower [Natalie Edwards](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-senior-fincen-employee-pleads-guilty-conspiring-unlawfully-disclose-suspicious "undefined"), and [Robert Hadden](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/former-obstetriciangynecologist-robert-hadden-charged-manhattan-federal-court-sexually "undefined"), a top New York doctor who was [sentenced](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/10/robert-hadden-sexual-assault-columbia-university-gynecologist "undefined") for luring patients across state lines so he could sexually abuse them. “She is truly a prosecutor’s prosecutor,” Kristy Greenberg, former deputy chief of the SDNY’s criminal division, [told](https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/trump-doj-fires-epstein-prosecutor-maurene-comey-243369541798 "undefined") MSNBC, adding that many people look up to her and that she is “beloved” in the agency. ## How is Maurene Comey involved in the Epstein case? Comey was [one of three lead prosecutors](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/jeffrey-epstein-charged-manhattan-federal-court-sex-trafficking-minors "undefined") in the case against Epstein and the British socialite [Maxwell](https://time.com/5650987/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein/ "undefined"), who was convicted for helping the disgraced Epstein sexually abuse young girls. She has been serving a 20-year sentence since 2022\. Last year, Comey [filed a declaration](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/15/pam-bondi-jeffrey-epstein-maga-base-00455207 "undefined") in federal court seeking to bar the release of Epstein-related records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. In the declaration, Comey said that the release of the records—which contained witness information and statements as well as business records—”could reasonably be expected to interfere” in any retrial of Maxwell, who [unsuccessfully appealed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0glxd0gxko "undefined") her sex trafficking conviction and has [petitioned the Supreme Court](https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-urges-supreme-court-turn-epstein-accomplice-ghislaine/story?id=123752067 "undefined") to vacate her conviction. U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe [upheld](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.474895/gov.uscourts.nysd.474895.64.0.pdf "undefined") the FBI’s denial of access to the bulk of the Epstein records. Influential right-wing figures have supported Comey’s firing. “+1 for Blondi today,” Laura Loomer [said](https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1945613578477711461 "undefined") on X, using a moniker for Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has been facing MAGA calls for her resignation over the decision to not release the Epstein files. **Read More:** [_Trump Urges Supporters to Move On From Epstein, as MAGA Conspiracists Demand Transparency_](https://time.com/7302081/trump-epstein-files-maga-base-lose-supporters-conspiracy-theorists-transparency/ "undefined") Sen. Adam Schiff (D, Calif.) said in a [video](https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/1945687741548675525 "undefined") that Comey’s firing amid the reignited Epstein controversy raises questions: “Did they fire her because she’s James Comey’s daughter? That would be improper for one reason. Did they fire her because she was a prosecutor in the Epstein case? That would just feed into what the MAGA base is already suspicious of.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7302912/epstein-maurene-comey-trump-fired-prosecutor/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7302912/epstein-maurene-comey-trump-fired-prosecutor/"},"headline":"Who Is Maurene Comey, the Fired U.S. Attorney and Prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein?","datePublished":"2025-07-17T14:37:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T01:25:53.203Z","description":"Her sacking comes amid heightened interest into cases about late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.","url":"https://time.com/7302912/epstein-maurene-comey-trump-fired-prosecutor/","keywords":["Donald Trump","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0a015ead9589e43/6998c84966d4e36b48cbca77/GettyImages-1158905277.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0a015ead9589e43/6998c84966d4e36b48cbca77/GettyImages-1158905277.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Metropolitan Correctional Center As Epstein Judge Sets Tentative Trial Date","caption":"The Metropolitan Correctional Center As Epstein Judge Sets Tentative Trial Date","creditText":"Peter Foley—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7302912/epstein-maurene-comey-trump-fired-prosecutor/","name":"Who Is Maurene Comey, the Fired U.S. Attorney and Prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Trump Decries ‘Jeffrey Epstein Hoax’ and Mocks Those Still Raising Issue","description":"The outburst followed weeks of mounting pressure on Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi over the Justice Department’s reversal on long-promised disclosures related to the Epstein investigation. The Trump Administration has now insisted that no “client list” exists—despite years of signaling otherwise.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/W8YMWpKS/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2025-07-16T17:43:28.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W8YMWpKS.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7302912/epstein-maurene-comey-trump-fired-prosecutor/","duration":"PT2M25S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7302912/epstein-maurene-comey-trump-fired-prosecutor/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```