Federal Court Clears Former FEMA CFO Mary Comans After Smear Campaign by Elon Musk, Kristi Noem and others
October 13, 2026
A federal magistrate judge today issued an order finding that high-ranking government officials, including then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and then-Special Government Employee Elon Musk, knowingly spread false and derogatory information about Mary Comans, the former chief financial officer of FEMA, after she was fired in February 2025. The court found the statements about Ms. Comans were “objectively and demonstrably false” and formally cleared her name. The court described “outrageous government conduct” at the “highest levels of DHS, in knowingly spreading false information.” The following is a statement by Craig Becker, managing counsel for affirmative litigation at Democracy Defenders Fund:
“We are pleased with the judge’s decision, which formally clears Ms. Comans’ name and establishes that statements about her by high-ranking government officials were false. Mary Comans served in the federal government for 21 years. Career public servants are people, not pawns, and no one who has devoted their life to serving the American public should have their good name destroyed for partisan, political gain. We are grateful that the court issued this detailed and unprecedented decision to formally correct the record and vindicate Ms. Comans.”
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