Federal Judge Rules Musk and Noem Orchestrated Smear Campaign Against Former FEMA Official

POLICY WIRE — Washington, USA — A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that billionaire Elon Musk, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other high-ranking Trump administration officials executed a deliberate campaign to disseminate misinformation and damage the reputation of a former FEMA official.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick characterized the administration’s actions as outrageous, noting that Mary Comans, the agency’s former chief financial officer, was targeted and attacked without any legitimate justification. Comans, a career civil servant, was terminated from her position in February 2025 without cause.

Although officials claimed her firing was a standard exercise of executive power, the Department of Homeland Security issued a press release falsely alleging that Comans bypassed leadership to authorize improper payments for migrant housing in New York City. The administration further claimed she violated an executive order issued by President Trump during his second term that restricted funding to organizations assisting undocumented immigrants.

Court records reveal that the payments in question were actually authorized by senior DHS and FEMA officials, with explicit approval from employees within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force overseen by Musk. Comans had been instructed to proceed with these payments based on that internal authorization.

Despite this, the court found that Noem, Musk, and top aide Corey Lewandowski knowingly circulated false statements regarding Comans. Fitzpatrick wrote that these high-ranking officials engaged in a coordinated public relations effort to undermine the personal and professional integrity of a public servant with an impeccable record.

As part of the campaign, Musk utilized his platform on X to share a photograph of Comans, baselessly accusing her of criminal activity related to the New York City hotel payments. The judge determined that Musk, whose DOGE team had approved the funding, intended to intimidate Comans through this public post.

The court further noted that Noem and Lewandowski funneled false information to conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, intending for her to amplify the claims to her audience. Fitzpatrick concluded that the officials acted with a premeditated intent to spread derogatory information as widely as possible.

This ruling follows a name-clearing proceeding initiated after a July 2025 court decision found that Comans was fired without due process. The judge explicitly stated that all accusations of criminal conduct, misuse of funds, and money laundering leveled against Comans were entirely false.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)