DOJ's latest firing ensures Epstein scandal won't go away

The Justice Department on Wednesday fired Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor who successfully prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The firing comes as President Donald Trump is under fire from all sides for his handling of the Epstein scandal and his administration’s failure to release information connected to the infamous case.

Comey led the court case where Maxwell was convicted for her role in sex trafficking minors alongside Epstein. She worked as his recruiter and transported underaged girls.

Comey also led the recent successful prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Comes for prostitution-related crimes, though he was acquitted in the same trial of other alleged crimes. She is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump infamously fired in 2017 for investigating Trump’s alleged ties to Russian election interference.

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Conspiracy theorist and anti-Muslim bigot Laura Loomer, a close ally of Trump, pushed for Maurene Comey’s dismissal. The firing is yet another recent instance of Trump apparently following Loomer’s demands.

Trump was a longtime friend of Epstein, and his decision to fire Comey, along with his administration’s stonewalling on the Epstein issue, has raised new questions about his potential involvement in the deceased sex offender’s crimes. While campaigning for office, Trump often invoked the Epstein case as a cudgel against his Democratic political opponents, and his decision to now cover up details of the case has created a scandal within his administration.

Trump’s MAGA base has been up in arms over Trump’s mishandling of the Epstein issue, demanding that the information they were long promised be released. Trump has lashed out, falsely claiming that Democrats manufactured the Epstein case.

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“It’s a hoax, I know it’s a hoax,” Trump complained to reporters on Wednesday. Trump has often claimed that real things, such as climate change and his loss in the 2020 election, are hoaxes or fraudulent.

Trump also said that Republicans pushing the issue are “stupid” and “foolish.”

Democrats have been on the attack, mocking congressional Republicans for voting against Democratic-led attempts to force the government to release Epstein-related information.

The public is not with Trump on this issue.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday showed that 69% of Americans, including nearly two-thirds of Republicans, believe the government is hiding Epstein’s alleged client list. Only 17% of Americans approve of how Trump has handled the scandal.

Firing a prosecutor connected to the Epstein case is likely to only feed the fire of the controversy Trump finds himself in.

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