A federal judge cleared Mary Comans’ name 20 months after Elon Musk and Kristi Noem wrecked her professional reputation.

Comans had served under four presidents of both parties. She was fired as FEMA’s chief financial officer the day after Musk claimed DOGE had caught the agency sending $59 million to “luxury hotels” for migrants. The judge found that other officials had approved those payments, that Musk and Noem knew their accusations were false, and that Noem helped feed the story to far-right influencer Laura Loomer.

Comans needed a lawsuit and a rare name-clearing hearing to get back the name Donald Trump’s administration took from her. Musk, meanwhile, has spent more than a quarter billion dollars since July to help Republicans keep control of Congress.

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