Prosecutor Maurene Comey walks to the courthouse for the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial in Manhattan, where she served as lead prosecutor. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
"Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey," her lawyers argued. "In truth, there is no legitimate explanation. Rather, defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both."
The lawsuit asks that Comey be reinstated to the Southern District of New York, where lawyers noted her work earned multiple awards, promotions and internal recognition, including a recent performance review calling her work "outstanding."
It also cites protections afforded to career federal prosecutors, including prior notification and the ability to challenge a removal.
In the years since Comey joined SDNY in 2015, her lawyers said, she had been assigned to prosecute some of the department's most high-profile cases — including the criminal cases against Epstein, Maxwell, and others. Most recently, in May, she led the prosecution against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Former FBI Director James Comey is sworn prior to testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committe on June 8, 2017. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
In the years since Comey's departure, the two have continued to be sharply at odds. Comey has emerged as an outspoken Trump critic, both in public and in his memoir, "A Higher Loyalty." Comey came into the president's crosshairs again earlier this year after he posted what was viewed by Trump allies as a cryptic social media post online; he has denied knowledge of its true meaning.
Trump, for his part, has continued to assail Comey and probe his tenure at the FBI. Earlier this year, the FBI confirmed it had launched criminal investigations into Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan for allegedly making false statements to Congress.
Details of the investigation were not immediately clear, and in the months since the FBI's July announcement, there has been little information shared with the public about the nature or status of the probes.
The younger Comey was terminated about a week after the investigations were announced — a detail her lawyers highlighted in the lawsuit, which seeks her reinstatement and back pay.
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In a farewell email sent to colleagues, Maurene Comey wrote, "If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain."
"Do not let that happen," she said.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maurene-comey-sues-doj-unlawful-firing-demands-reinstatement