With a little more than 24 hours left until former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe was set to retire, Attorney General Jeff Session fired him. The decision’s announcement came late Friday night, which a number of key players in Washington, D.C. have praised or condemned.
Here’s a breakdown of the firing and everything that’s happened since.
Sessions said McCabe leaked unauthorized information and “lacked candor”
In the statement that announced McCabe’s firing, Sessions said that both the Justice Department inspector general and the FBI disciplinary office found that McCabe had “made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor — including under oath — on multiple occasions.”
Read the full statement here.
McCabe claims the decision was an attempt to “slander” him and “undermine” Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign
After Sessions released his statement, McCabe released his own. In it, he alleges that he was targeted because’s he’s a witness in special counselor Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s involvement with Russia.
“This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally,” McCabe said. “It is part of this Administration’s ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel’s work.”
Read the full statement here.
President Trump praised the firing
In a tweet issued early Saturday morning, Trump attacked both McCabe and former FBI director James Comey.
Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI – A great day for Democracy. Sanctimonious James Comey was his boss and made McCabe look like a choirboy. He knew all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018
Trump continued to tweet about McCabe throughout the weekend.
The Fake News is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign by Crooked H friend, Terry M, who was also under investigation? How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018
Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don’t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey. Can we call them Fake Memos?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018
McCabe’s attorney, Michael R. Bromwich, said Trump’s tweets about McCabe prior to his firing were “quite clearly designed to put inappropriate pressure on the Attorney General to act accordingly,” implying Trump was ultimately behind the firing.
According to the Washington Post, Trump has previously suggested McCabe was biased in favor of Hillary Clinton.
The former CIA director condemned both the firing and Trump
After Trump’s initial tweet about McCabe, former CIA Director John Brennan replied.
When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America…America will triumph over you. https://t.co/uKppoDbduj
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) March 17, 2018
Brennan was the CIA chief under President Barack Obama.
McCabe supposedly kept memos about Trump’s interactions, which he handed over to Mueller
According to The Wall Street Journal, the alleged memos include information about interactions with Trump — both his and Comey’s.
Comey himself took to Twitter on Saturday.
Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.
— James Comey (@Comey) March 17, 2018
Comey was fired last May, which Mueller is including in his continued investigation.
Democrats are offering to hire McCabe so he’s eligible for his pension
McCabe was eligible to retire on Sunday — his 50th birthday — and receive full retirement benefits. Sessions took that away.
Now, Democratic lawmakers are offering McCabe temporary jobs so he can get full retirement benefits.
One suggestion from a McCabe supporter: if a friendly member of Congress hired him for a week he could possibly qualify for pension benefits by extending his service the extra days
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) March 17, 2018
Would be happy to consider this. The Sixth District of MA would benefit from the wisdom and talent of such an experienced public servant. https://t.co/ynQWhdzQpC
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) March 17, 2018
Maryland’s Jamie Raskin and Illinois’ Luis Guitiérrez also made job offers.
A rep for McCabe responded by saying they are “considering all options.”