Former FBI No.2 McCabe fired; claims he is being targeted

[rooster59]

Former FBI No.2 McCabe fired; claims he is being targeted

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

FILE PHOTO: Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired the FBI's former No.2 official Andrew McCabe Friday, prompting McCabe to say he is being targeted because he is a crucial witness into whether President Donald Trump tried to obstruct the Russia investigation.

 

Sessions, in a statement on Friday, said he felt justified in firing McCabe after the Justice Department's internal watchdog found he leaked information to reporters and misled investigators about his actions.

 

"The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability," Sessions said.

 

But McCabe, who played a crucial role in the bureau's investigations of Hillary Clinton and Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election, denied those claims and said he is facing retaliation by the Trump administration.

 

In a lengthy statement, McCabe said he believes he is being politically targeted because he corroborated former FBI Director James Comey's claims that Trump tried to pressure him into killing the Russia probe.

 

Trump ousted Comey last year and acknowledged in a televised interview that he fired Comey over "this Russia thing."

 

McCabe's dismissal came two days before his 50th birthday, when he would have been eligible to retire from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with his full pension. The firing - which comes nine months after Trump fired Comey - puts McCabe's pension in jeopardy.

 

It also is likely to raise questions about whether McCabe received an overly harsh punishment due to political pressure by the Republican president, who has blasted McCabe on Twitter and called for his ouster.

 

Comey's firing paved the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to tap Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is now leading the investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia. Trump has denied there was any collusion.

 

"I am being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath of the firing of James Comey," McCabe said in his statement.

 

"This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort ... to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally."

 

Trump posted a message on his twitter account early Saturday, praising the action and blasting both McCabe and Comey.

 

Trump wrote, "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!"

 

McCabe had stepped down from his position as FBI deputy director in January but remained on leave pending retirement.

 

His departure was triggered by a critical report from the Justice Department's inspector general that eventually led the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility to recommend he be fired.

 

The report, which has yet to be made public, says McCabe misled investigators about his communications with a former Wall Street Journal reporter who was writing about McCabe's role in probes tied to Clinton, including an investigation of the Clinton family's charitable foundation.

 

In his statement, McCabe denied ever misleading investigators.

 

He added that the release of the inspector general's report was "accelerated" after he testified behind closed doors before the U.S. House Intelligence Committee where he revealed he could back up Comey's claims.

 

Comey's firing has become central to questions about whether Trump unlawfully sought to obstruct the Russia investigation.

 

McCabe could potentially be a crucial witness in Mueller's investigation.

 

Trump and other Republicans have accused McCabe, a lifelong Republican who worked at the FBI for more than 20 years, of political bias and conflicts in connection with his oversight of investigations related to Clinton.

 

Some of that criticism stemmed from the fact that his wife, Jill McCabe, a Democrat, received donations for her unsuccessful 2015 Virginia state Senate campaign from Terry McAuliffe, who was then the state's governor and an ally of the Clintons.

 

McCabe did not start overseeing the investigations until after his wife's campaign ended, the FBI has said, and therefore did not have a conflict of interest.

 

On Twitter last year, Trump questioned why McCabe was allowed to oversee an investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while his wife received donations from "Clinton puppets." He said McCabe was "racing the clock to retire with full benefits."

 

Behind closed doors, Trump also asked McCabe who he voted for in the presidential election and referred to his wife as a loser, according to a source familiar with the matter.

 

McCabe initially did not respond to Trump's question but later told Trump he did not vote in 2016, the source said.

 

Asked about this in January, Trump said he did not recall asking McCabe whom he voted for.

 

The inspector general's report is largely focused on how McCabe answered questions about whether he leaked to the press in advance of a story that was critical of his oversight into the Clinton foundation investigation.

 

McCabe contends he did not view this as a leak but as an authorized disclosure that is commonplace in Washington between reporters and government officials.

 

He said he answered questions truthfully, and later, when he felt investigators misunderstood his answers, he tried to clarify his responses with them.

 

 

 

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Fired FBI Deputy Director McCabe's statement

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired the FBI's former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe on Friday, prompting a rebuke from McCabe who said he is facing political retaliation by President Donald Trump.

 

Here are some of the highlights of his lengthy statement:

 

I have been an FBI Special Agent for over 21 years...

 

For the last year and a half, my family and I have been the targets of an unrelenting assault on our reputation and my service to this country.

 

Articles too numerous to count have leveled every sort of false, defamatory and degrading allegation against us.

 

The President’s tweets have amplified and exacerbated it all. He called for my firing.

 

He called for me to be stripped of my pension after more than 20 years of service.

 

And all along we have said nothing, never wanting to distract from the mission of the FBI by addressing the lies told and repeated about us. 

 

No more.

 

The investigation by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has to be understood in the context of the attacks on my credibility.

 

The investigation flows from my attempt to explain the FBI’s involvement and my supervision of investigations involving Hillary Clinton. I was being portrayed in the media over and over as a political partisan...

 

The FBI was portrayed as caving under that pressure, and making decisions for political rather than law enforcement purposes.

 

Nothing was further from the truth. In fact, this entire investigation stems from my efforts, fully authorized under FBI rules, to set the record straight on behalf of the Bureau...   

 

The OIG investigation has focused on information I chose to share with a reporter through my public affairs officer and a legal counselor.

 

As Deputy Director, I was one of only a few people who had the authority to do that. It was not a secret...

 

It was the type of exchange with the media that the Deputy Director oversees several times per week....

 

The investigation subsequently focused on who I talked to, when I talked to them, and so forth...

 

I answered questions truthfully and as accurately as I could amidst the chaos that surrounded me. And when I thought my answers were misunderstood, I contacted investigators to correct them....

 

The big picture is a tale of what can happen when law enforcement is politicized, public servants are attacked, and people who are supposed to cherish and protect our institutions become instruments for damaging those institutions and people. 

 

Here is the reality: I am being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath of the firing of James Comey.

 

The release of this report was accelerated only after my testimony to the House Intelligence Committee revealed that I would corroborate former Director Comey’s accounts of his discussions with the President.

 

The OIG’s focus on me and this report became a part of an unprecedented effort by the Administration, driven by the President himself, to remove me from my position, destroy my reputation, and possibly strip me of a pension that I worked 21 years to earn...

 

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. 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....

 

To have my career end in this way, and to be accused of lacking candor when at worst I was distracted in the midst of chaotic events, is incredibly disappointing and unfair...

 

I have unfailing faith in the men and women of the FBI and I am confident that their efforts to seek justice will not be deterred.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-17

 

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

McCabe's dismissal came two days before his 50th birthday, when he would have been eligible to retire from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with his full pension. The firing - which comes nine months after Trump fired Comey - puts McCabe's pension in jeopardy.

 

It also is likely to raise questions about whether McCabe received an overly harsh punishment due to political pressure by the Republican president, who has blasted McCabe on Twitter and called for his ouster.

This is purely sending message: "Don't investigate my matters, or I will punish you personally."

 

 

 

[pgrahmm]

Finally, taking some of the trash out.....

 

Investigated by 2 panels that recommended his termination, but he's being "targeted".....

 

Of course they had to get him out of there, (leave), in January; just to investigate unobstructed.....

[stevenl]

This seems very personal and vindictive. I don't think the final word has been spoken on this one.

[FritsSikkink]

7 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Finally, taking some of the trash out.....

 

Investigated by 2 panels that recommended his termination, but he's being "targeted".....

 

Of course they had to get him out of there, (leave), in January; just to investigate unobstructed.....

Still not clear to you that the biggest trash is in the WH?

[Jack Mountain]

He's a hush-puppy of not even 50 years old! Who needs a career? Write a book! and accuse the Russians.

[jcsmith]

Another classless move by a classless white house. 

[Boon Mee]

Yes, he was correctly  targeted all right for covering up Clinton email details and telling falsehoods before Congress. 

[Thakkar]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

McCabe's dismissal came two days before his 50th birthday, when he would have been eligible to retire from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with his full pension. The firing - which comes nine months after Trump fired Comey - puts McCabe's pension in jeopardy.

 

Trump is a vindictive, acrimonious, petty, reactionary, puerile, rancorous, spiteful, grudge-holding, malignant, immature, sadistic asshat mean-girl-type little man.

[Chomper Higgot]

9 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Yes, he was correctly  targeted all right for covering up Clinton email details and telling falsehoods before Congress. 

Fired by Geoff Sessions a man already demonstrated to have lied to Congress. 

 

[Baerboxer]

2 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

 

Trump is a vindictive, acrimonious, petty, reactionary, puerile, rancorous, spiteful, grudge-holding, malignant, immature, sadistic asshat mean-girl-type little man.

 

Your're probably right.

 

But that doesn't mean McCabe shouldn't have been fired now does it?

 

 

[Baerboxer]

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Fired by Geoff Sessions a man already demonstrated to have lied to Congress. 

 

 

So your're saying what exactly? It's ok to lie as long as the person dealing with it is also a liar?

[Chomper Higgot]

Just now, Baerboxer said:

 

So your're saying what exactly? It's ok to lie as long as the person dealing with it is also a liar?

Perhaps we should look more closely at who it is accused McCabe of lying and the affiliations of those who conducted the 'investigation'.

 

 

[simple1]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

This seems very personal and vindictive. I don't think the final word has been spoken on this one.

Just look at the really awful insulting tweet by Trump celebrating McCage's firing. Yet more proof Trump is unfit to hold the Office of the President of the USA.

 

“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!”

 

The firing by Sessions, encouraged by Trump is extremely spiteful. I do not know if it is legally possible, but one hopes a benefactor will be brave enough to fund a lawsuit against the Administration for cruel and unusual punishment in order the true story of motivation for vilification and backstabbing by Trump and his sycophants can see the light of day.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2018 by simple1

[riclag]

You know it must be serious if  ( Mr.do nothing Sessions fired him).Now he can start his retirement  while  accompanying  Comey on his new book tour. They deserve each other 

[Thakkar]

17 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Your're probably right.

 

But that doesn't mean McCabe shouldn't have been fired now does it?

 

 

 

McCabe had ALREADY succumbed to mounting pressure and announced his retirement months in advance. Trump had already won. But it wasn’t enough: he wanted to spit in his face as well.

 

and the reason given for his firing by Trump the liar in chief—That he had lied? Really?  And by Sessions, the man who lied to Congress under oath about the very consequential matter of a secret meeting with Russi’s top man in Washington?

[riclag]

1 hour ago, pgrahmm said:

Finally, taking some of the trash out.....

 

Investigated by 2 panels that recommended his termination, but he's being "targeted".....

 

Of course they had to get him out of there, (leave), in January; just to investigate unobstructed.....

Next, I will be delighted to see Rosenstein  have Mueller rained in and report on only Russian interference in the Election which was the  original scope of the Special Council Investigation.

[riclag]

16 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

 

McCabe had ALREADY succumbed to mounting pressure and announced his retirement months in advance. Trump had already won. But it wasn’t enough: he wanted to spit in his face as well.

 

and the reason given for his firing by Trump the liar in chief—That he had lied? Really?  And by Sessions, the man who lied to Congress under oath about the very consequential matter of a secret meeting with Russi’s top man in Washington?

It's a crime to lie to Congress! Did you know that?My question to you is where is the indictment by a court of law? 

[Thakkar]

https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/102360490/five-reasons-donald-trump-would-have-wanted-andrew-mccabe-fired

 

Five reasons Donald Trump would have wanted Andrew McCabe fired

[thaibeachlovers]

40 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Perhaps we should look more closely at who it is accused McCabe of lying and the affiliations of those who conducted the 'investigation'.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

His departure was triggered by a critical report from the Justice Department's inspector general that eventually led the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility to recommend he be fired.

 

[Somtamnication]

Write that book, buddy. I will buy it!

[punchjudy]

The feebies are mostly democrats

[Thakkar]

44 minutes ago, punchjudy said:

The feebies are mostly democrats

Mueller: Republican 

Comey: Republican

McCabe: Republican

Rosenstein, whom all three answer to: Republican

[ballpoint]

2 hours ago, Thakkar said:

 

Trump is a vindictive, acrimonious, petty, reactionary, puerile, rancorous, spiteful, grudge-holding, malignant, immature, sadistic asshat mean-girl-type little man.

And there you go again.  Spit it out man and get to the point.

[Thakkar]

2 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

And there you go again.  Spit it out man and get to the point.

Alright, I admit it. I’m secretly in love with the guy; the fact that he may be into some pretty kinky stuff is just icing on the cake for me.

[ballpoint]

9 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

Mueller: Republican 

Comey: Republican

McCabe: Republican

Rosenstein, whom all three answer to: Republican

And who has the power to fire them all?  Trump the Rancorous Egotistical Petty Uppity Bigoted Licentious Immature Cancerous Anal Narcissist

[Thingamabob]

McCabe lied to his own people in the FBI (ie The Office of Professional Responsibility/OPR). Big mistake.

[Thakkar]

4 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

And who has the power to fire them all?  Trump the Rancorous Egotistical Petty Uppity Bigoted Licentious Immature Cancerous Anal Narcissist

 

Now, I ask you—is there a better kind of narcissist?

[ballpoint]

10 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

 

Now, I ask you—is there a better kind of narcissist?

It must be true, all his apologists keep saying butt, butt, butt...

[simple1]

1 minute ago, Thingamabob said:

McCabe lied to his own people in the FBI (ie The Office of Professional Responsibility/OPR). Big mistake.

So far interpretation. A spiteful personal campaign by Trump and his sycophants to undermine McCabe and the FBI in general. The decision by Sessions, encouraged by personal animus from a man who is undeserving of the title "President" is the essence of mean spirited behaviour.  Trump's unsuitability for Office is proven yet again, in this case by his nasty tweet celebrating McCabe's firing.