FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe plans to retire in March when he becomes fully eligible for pension benefits.
McCabe was former director James B. Comey’s right-hand man, meaning he was involved in the FBI’s actions that vex President Trump and in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while Secretary of State. He is also said to be among the FBI officials whom Comey told about Trump’s efforts to shut down the investigation into Michael Flynn.
McCabe took over Comey’s position when Trump fired him.
This decision has fueled President Trump’s Twitter feed and has sparked increased talk amongst Republicans.
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017
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?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017
.@FoxNews-FBI’s Andrew McCabe, “in addition to his wife getting all of this money from M (Clinton Puppet), he was using, allegedly, his FBI Official Email Account to promote her campaign. You obviously cannot do this. These were the people who were investigating Hillary Clinton.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2017
McCabe has recently spent over 14 hours behind closed doors with three House Committees this week answering questions that left Republicans dissatisfied.
The FBI and Justice Department have been targets of attacks from Trump and his allies lately in hopes to discredit the institutions. Republicans have consistently escalated their criticism of the bureau during Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“The worse those institutions look, the easier it might be, down the line, to dismiss anything that comes from Mueller’s team as the product of Democratic ‘bias’ — or altogether invalid,” NPR’s Philip Ewing says.
Trump also singled out FBI lawyer James Baker, tweeting: “Wow, ‘FBI lawyer James Baker reassigned,’ according to @FoxNews.” Baker was reportedly reassigned after Republican criticism that the FBI had been politicized against Trump.
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