President Donald Trump has fired Maurene Comey, a senior prosecutor at the Southern District of New York who was leading the government’s case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to multiple sources.
Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey whom Trump fired in 2017, was terminated via a Department of Justice letter that offered no reason for her dismissal, sources told Deadline.
The longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney had been the lead prosecutor in the sex-trafficking and racketeering case against music mogul Sean Combs, who was recently found guilty on two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution on July 2. She also worked on high-profile criminal cases involving Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
The firing comes amid growing tensions within Trump’s base over the administration’s handling of the Epstein case files. After promising during his campaign to release information about Epstein’s connections, Trump has recently downplayed the significance of any potential revelations, claiming the files “were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden administration.”
Trump’s relationship with Epstein has drawn renewed scrutiny following comments from Elon Musk, who posted on X that Trump “is in the Epstein files” and suggested this was why they hadn’t been made public. The post was later deleted.
Comey’s termination is expected to complicate the Combs case, as the defendant awaits sentencing on October 3. Having avoided the more serious charges that could have resulted in life imprisonment, Combs could potentially be released within two years under current sentencing guidelines.
The Southern District of New York declined to comment on the firing. Comey had worked at the prestigious office for a decade and was well-regarded by colleagues and defense attorneys.
