Mary Comans lawsuit: Former FEMA CFO sues Trump administration alleging unlawful dismissal and smear campaign over alleged migrant luxury hotel payments.
The former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration following her termination last month, claiming she was unfairly dismissed and the target of a smear campaign.
Mary Comans was fired by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over an $80 million grant to NYC allowing for emergency sheltering of migrants that FEMA ultimately clawed back.
The grant was one of many parcelled out to cities as part of the Shelter and Services Program created by Congress to help pay for the cost of housing migrants.
Victim of smear campaign
Comans was one of four FEMA employees fired over the matter.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in D.C. accuses the Trump administration of violating the Privacy Act by releasing false information about Comans and of failing to meet the requirements established by the Civil Service Reform Act to lawfully fire Comans as a member of the Senior Executive Service.
The terminations came one day after billionaire Elon Musk claimed on social media that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had discovered the payments were taken from FEMA’s disaster relief funds and used for ‘luxury hotels’ to house migrants.
In a suit filed alongside a parallel complaint submitted to the Merit Systems Protection Board, Comans’ attorneys say she was not given due process. They suit also alleges the agency wrongly accused her of acting improperly by distributing the funds.
‘The Defendants falsely, deliberately and publicly portrayed Ms. Comans’ actions in such a manner that third parties have asserted her conduct to have been criminal, which is defamation per se, thereby further contributing to the damages she has suffered,’ Comans’ complaint stated.
The suit further alleged, ‘Because of the issuance of the press release and other steps undertaken by the Defendants, Ms. Comans’ actions were widely, publicly and falsely condemned as ‘illegal’ and ‘criminal’ by rightwing influencers, to include Elon Musk, on various social media platforms.’
Musk highlighted the payments on X, claiming that the funds were spent on ‘luxury’ hotels.
The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.
Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order.
That money is meant for American disaster relief…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025
Victim of political muckraking?
That prompted the firing of Comans by DHS.
‘Effective immediately, FEMA is terminating the employment of four individuals for circumventing leadership to unilaterally make egregious payments for luxury NYC hotels for migrants,’ the agency said in a statement at the time.
‘Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS will not sit idly and allow deep state activists to undermine the will and safety of the American people.’
Posts from Musk and ‘rightwing influencer’ Laura Loomer are included in Comans’ complaint and show her being accused of ‘criminal’ and ‘illegal’ behavior. Comans to date has not been charged with any crimes.
A report by the Associated Press found that only $19 million of the total $80 million FEMA sent to NYC under the Shelter and Services Program last month was for hotels and that none of the rooms cost close to a luxury rate.
Comans’ lawsuit is the latest in mounting legal challenges against the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the federal government. In addition to mass firings across several agencies, the administration has also dismissed the heads and board members of independent regulatory agencies.
