A day after she was fired as an assistant U.S. attorney, Maurene Comey — the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey — urged her colleagues Thursday not to let fear of retribution "seep into" their decisions and to fight back against "abuses of power."
"Every person lucky enough to work in this office constantly hears four words to describe our ethos: Without Fear or Favor. Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons without fear of retribution and without favor to the powerful," she wrote in a memo to her colleagues.
The Justice Department fired Comey on Wednesday. She was a key figure in several high-profile cases, including the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs and the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein, the financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019, has been the subject of conspiracy theories that have become a major source of contention between President Donald Trump and some of his supporters.
Comey said that she was not given a reason and that her termination was done via a memo.
A source familiar with the matter told NBC News on Wednesday that the Justice Department cited Article II of the Constitution, which establishes the executive power of the president.
In her memo, Comey talked about how "fear was never really conceivable" during her nearly 10-year tenure at the Southern District.
"We don’t fear bad press; we have the luxury of exceptional security keeping us physically safe; and, so long as we did our work with integrity, we would get to keep serving the public in this office," she wrote. "Our focus was really on acting 'without favor.' That is, making sure people with access, money, and power were not treated differently than anyone else; and making sure this office remained separate from politics and focused only on the facts and the law."
But, Comey said, they are now in a "new phase where 'without fear' may be the challenge."
"If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Do not let that happen," the memo read. "Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought. Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else."
Her father, James Comey, has for years been in a public feud with Trump. He was one of the key figures in launching a probe of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential election.
During his first term as president, Trump fired James Comey, and his administration launched a criminal investigation this month targeting him and former CIA Director John Brennan. The details of the investigation remain unclear.
Asked at a news briefing Thursday about Maurene Comey’s firing, the White House said, "This was a decision made by the Department of Justice."
