Politico | Andrew McCabe was fired from FBI ‘because I opened a case against the president’
- Andrew McCabe, who was elevated to the role of acting FBI director in May 2017 after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, said he promptly opened two investigations into the president
- McCabe was fired after being accused of misleading investigators during an internal probe into a news media disclosure
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Quint Forgey on politico.com on February 17, 2019.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said he was ousted from the bureau in March 2018 because he opened two investigations into US President Donald Trump 10 months earlier.
“I believe I was fired because I opened a case against the president of the United States,” McCabe told host Scott Pelley during an interview on CBS News’ 60 Minutes that aired Sunday.
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions dismissed McCabe – a little more than a day before he was set to formally retire – at, Sessions said, the recommendation of the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which cited findings from a report by Justice Department’s inspector general.
The department watchdog concluded that McCabe inappropriately authorised the disclosure of information to a Wall Street Journal reporter about an ongoing investigation into the Clinton Foundation, and lied about the leak to officials at DOJ.
Trump tweeted at the time that McCabe’s firing marked “a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI – A great day for Democracy.”