The Trump administration has fired a top national security prosecutor in Virginia after a conservative influencer falsely accused him of ties to the James Comey indictment, according to a CNN report citing two sources familiar with the matter. Michael Ben’Ary, who led the national security section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, was terminated on Wednesday following a social media post by pro-Trump commentator Julie Kelly.
The social media post
In her post, Kelly wrote that she assumed Ben’Ary “was a big part of the internal resistance to the Comey indictment.”
Yet another top aide for Lisa Monaco now works at EDVA.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) October 1, 2025
Michael BenAry was Monaco’s senior counsel then promoted to assistant deputy attorney general under Biden regime.
He was moved back to EDVA—he had worked there before—right before Inauguration Day.
He’s now chief of… pic.twitter.com/lq5lR7iq7r
However, sources told CNN that the claim was baseless – Ben’Ary had no involvement in the case against the former FBI director.
Comey’s indictment
As Straight Arrow News reported, Comey was indicted on two felony counts, accused of lying to Congress. He has denied the allegations and maintained his innocence.
Neither the Department of Justice nor the attorney’s office in Virginia has commented publicly on Ben’Ary’s removal.
Part of a pattern?
Ben’Ary’s firing is the latest in a series of terminations targeting DOJ prosecutors and FBI staffers who have drawn attention from MAGA-aligned activists online. According to The Associated Press, three former FBI agents are currently suing the administration, alleging they were fired after similar social media pressure from Trump supporters.
