Posted on 01/29/2018 10:04:14 AM PST by Signalman
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was expected to retire in the coming months, is stepping down, according to multiple reports.
A career civil servant who was appointed deputy director in 2016, McCabe has been a frequent target of Republicans alleging systemic bias against President Trump at the top tiers of the bureau.
McCabe oversaw the controversial investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. The GOP has accused him of a conflict of interest in that case because his wife accepted nearly $500,000 in political donations from Clinton ally Terry McAuliffe in a state legislature bid that predated the investigation.
The Washington Post first reported McCabe's intention to retire when he became eligible for pension benefits, in early March. Trump, who has been among McCabe's fiercest critics, characterized the move as "racing the clock to retire with full benefits."
A spokesperson for the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump as early as July had called for McCabe's ouster, demanding, "Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation?"
"How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?" he tweeted in December.
As a civil servant, McCabe cannot be fired without clear evidence of wrongdoing.
According to documents release by the bureau in November, although McCabe recused himself from state corruption cases in Virginia as a result of his wife's candidacy, he was not warned by bureau officials to step back from the Clinton investigation.
Then the assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, McCabe "provided personnel resources" to the email investigation but "was not told what the investigation was about" until he was appointed deputy director—months after the Virginia election had concluded.
McCabe briefly ran the bureau after Trump fired former director James Comey, prior to the appointment of current director Chris Wray.
He has weathered one of the most controversial periods in the FBI's history, as Republicans have continued to argue that it inappropriately tried to tip the scale in Clinton's favor in the 2016 election.
He skyrocketed back into the public view after a series of texts from a former member of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team added fuel to Republican claims of bias at the bureau.
The agent, Peter Strzok, disparaged political figures of both parties in the texts, including Trump, whom he called an “idiot.” The agent was removed from Mueller's team earlier this year.
Republicans are also seeking to make public a controversial memo authored by committee chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) alleging surveillance abuses at the Department of Justice. McCabe is reported to be mentioned by name in the document.
“Andrew McCabe cuts across every facet of every investigation in 2016 that your viewers are interested in from Secretary Clinton’s emails to the investigation into the Trump campaign,” Gowdy told Fox News in December.
And, the beauty of it is that he was the one who got to decide if he did any wrongdoing or not! Clever system the swamp has developed for themselves!
I was a Senior VP at a place. I wasn’t even allowed to clean out my desk. I turned in my laptop at the Corporate office, and was told that anything left in my office would be delivered to me.
It was amicable. And I had seen it before. But damn...it kind of pissed me off.
“No, I don’t think he will get his full retirement. Hopefully, no retirement and a 10 x 12 cell in the pen.”
Big Fish seldom go to jail or pay any serious consequence. McCabe should be worried. So far he’s the biggest name implicated and it could go hard for him.
I bet his name is all over that memo.....along with others.
Stuck in airport listening to the constant CNN story running their standard Obstruction story.
Guys with his background are now getting SEVEN figures from the big law/lobbying/consulting firms. Unless he goes to jail, he’s gold.
a dishonest crook till the end, hanging around not to serve America, but to collect his undeserved pension.
Much concerns about this over at DUmp...some DUmmies fear this is a sign of worse things yet to come, but the less-triggered ones just say the “timing is coincidental” and Trump’s about done for.
I believe it!
Welcome to “McCabe Steps Down Day” at FR. What is this, the 5th or 6th thread about McCabe taking vacation time until his already scheduled resignation?
“Wray saw the memo yesterday”
Are you sure? I had not heard that. If Wray did and “Andy” resigns the next day that’s telling. Especially if the story that Wray was willing to resign rather than fire McCabe is true. Maybe now that McCabe is going we can find out what really happened in Vegas.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
FR needs more cowbell, and Q threads.
Kabuki theater! A staged dramatic "firing" where he gets to hang out on the FBI payroll for two months until his pension comes through.
McCabe can thanks Elijah Cummings for all this. Moron and traitor Cummings wanted IG to investigate unfair treatment of Hillary by the bureau. Can’t make this comedy up.
Winning.
YES!
They have started reporting that McCabe was removed....several sources now.
Commits treason and retires with full pension and bennies.
Somewhere in Hell, Benedict Arnold is spinning.
did they pull his passport yet??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.