During a pretrial hearing in New York, a federal judge challenged a Department of Justice lawyer over the dismissal of Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey.

Maurene Comey, a DOJ prosecutor who played a significant role in the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, was terminated last year via a letter citing presidential Article II powers.Her attorney, Ellen Blain, criticized the DOJ's rationale as an unprecedented and extreme interpretation of presidential authority.DOJ lawyer Karen Lesperance defended the firing, claiming it was lawful even if motivated by political reasons.U.S.

District Judge Jesse Furman pressed Lesperance on the limits of presidential power, asking whether a president could hypothetically fire employees to form an 'all-white' or 'all-black' executive branch.Lesperance admitted she could not answer on behalf of the government, prompting the judge to emphasize that she represented the government in court.

The hearing highlights tensions over executive authority and raises questions about political influence on federal employment decisions, particularly in high-profile cases.