‘Unlawful, flies in face of precedent’: Judge on Trump administration’s dismissal of ex-FBI chief Comey’s daughter

A federal judge ruled on Monday (local time) that the Trump administration’s dismissal of Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI director James Comey, from her post as a federal prosecutor was unlawful.Judge Jesse M Furman rejected the Trump administration’s argument that the dismissal was valid on the grounds that federal prosecutors exercise the president’s “conclusive and preclusive” powers.“The court concludes the defendants are wrong,” the judge wrote.Furman rejected the administration’s argument that Congress cannot regulate the removal of federal prosecutors, saying the claim “flies in the face of nearly two centuries of Supreme Court precedent.”“Indeed, to accept Defendants’ argument would be to unsettle the very equilibrium established by this Nation’s constitutional system,” the judge added.Maurene Comey was dismissed from her position as an assistant US attorney in July last year, after serving in the role for a decade. The court noted that she had worked on some of the country’s most high-profile cases and had consistently received “the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike.”Following her dismissal, she sued the Justice Department and other officials, alleging that her termination violated the constitutional separation of powers, the First Amendment and the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.Maurene Comey alleged that she was fired because she is the daughter of James Comey, a longtime critic of President Donald Trump, or because of her perceived political affiliations and beliefs.A Barack Obama appointee, James Comey served as FBI director from September 2013 until May 2017, when he was dismissed by Trump, during the Republican’s first White House term.(With AP inputs)