”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 said. ”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.”
Named as defendants in the lawsuit were, among others, the Justice Department, the Executive Office of the President, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the Office of Personnel Management and the United States.
The Justice Department declined through a spokesperson to comment.
Comey’s July 16 firing came amid a spate of dismissals of prosecutors by the Justice Department without explanation, raising alarm that civil service protections meant to prevent terminations for political reasons were being overlooked.
Comey’s lawsuit noted that the Civil Service Reform Act provides protections governing how and why she could be terminated, including specific prohibitions against termination for discriminatory reasons such as political affiliation.
”Her termination violated every one of those protections,” the lawsuit said.
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