Former FBI Director James Comey blasted the “illegal” firing of his daughter, Maurene Comey, from her federal prosecutor position as a “stupid” and “immoral” move.

Maurene Comey, who prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, was abruptly fired from the Southern District of New York by former Attorney General Pam Bondi in July 2025.

Her dad spoke out in her defense on Monday in an interview with MS NOW’s Nicole Wallace — his first since being indicted by the Trump administration for the second time.

James Comey described the “cost” of speaking up against the Trump administration and said he thinks his family is “proud” of his actions, but acknowledged the “burden” they bear as a result.

“There’s a cost to speaking up in this strange era, awful error we’re in now,” he said. “I think they accept that. I think they’re proud that I act the way I do. I’m not going to be quiet. I’m going to continue to speak about what I believe. But of course, it’s a burden for a family. That, to me, is a part that I regret. But they’re strong people.”

Wallace asked Comey specifically about his daughter and son-in-law Troy A. Edwards Jr., who quit his role as national security prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia shortly after the former director was indicted for the first time. In that case, James Comey was indicted in September on charges of lying to and obstructing Congress. The charges were tossed by a judge two months later.

“My daughter was a superstar prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and was fired only because she has my last name,” he said. “That’s stupid, that’s immoral. That’s illegal, in my view. And painful. She’ll be okay. I mean, she got a job at a law firm, and someday I hope she’ll go back to the Department of Justice. My son-in-law, who was the Deputy Chief of National Security at that Virginia U.S. Attorney’s office, quit the day they first indicted me. Also, just a tragedy to have that apolitical talent leave the department. God willing, he’ll be back someday. But it both tells you the quality of the people that this organization typically has, and the cost with Donald Trump at the top.”

Maurene Comey filed a lawsuit against Trump in September 2025, citing political motivations for her termination.

“The politically motivated termination of Ms. Comey — ostensibly under ‘Article II of the Constitution’ — upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system,” the lawsuit reads, according to The New York Times. “Assistant United States attorneys like Ms. Comey must do their jobs without fearing or favoring any political party or perspective, guided solely by the law, the facts and the pursuit of justice.”

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