Comey’s son-in-law, a federal prosecutor, resigns after indictment

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Aileen Graef, Dan Berman, CNN

(CNN) — James Comey’s son-in-law, Troy A. Edwards, Jr., resigned Thursday night from his position as a senior national security prosecutor shortly after the former FBI director was indicted.

In a one-sentence letter to US Attorney Lindsey Halligan obtained by CNN, Edwards wrote: “To uphold my oath to the Constitution and country, I hereby resign as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in the Department of Justice effective immediately.”

Edwards worked in the same Virginia office that is now prosecuting his father-in-law.

CNN spotted Edwards at the courthouse as reporters waited to see whether the grand jury would hand up an indictment Thursday. He spoke to the judge privately in chambers for about 30 minutes.

Comey’s indictment Thursday, on charges of giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, is an escalation in President Donald Trump’s effort to prosecute his political enemies. He could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

Comey responded to the indictment in an Instagram video, saying, “Let’s have a trial. And keep the faith.”

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system and I’m innocent,” he added.

This summer, Comey’s daughter, Maurene Comey, was fired from her job as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan and later sued the Justice Department, claiming it was in retaliation for being the daughter of the former FBI director.

As a prosecutor, Maurene Comey was involved in the Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean Combs cases, as well as a high-profile case against gynecologist Robert Hadden for sexually abusing patients.

In a memo as she departed, Maurene Comey wrote: “Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought. Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else.”

Maurene Comey is one of several federal civil servants fired by the Trump administration who have filed lawsuits to reinstate their positions or seek pay in a challenge to the administration’s sweeping removal of FBI agents and other federal prosecutors without notice or conforming to legal procedures.

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