Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe was fired from the Justice Department on Friday, just two days before he was set to retire and receive his pension. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he'd dismissed McCabe "effective immediately," saying McCabe "lacked candor."
McCabe had become a frequent target of President Trump because of his wife's congressional run as a Democrat, though most recently he was accused of an "unauthorized disclosure to the media," detailed in a yet-to-be released report that allegedly accuses McCabe of trying to hide a conversation he arranged between FBI officials and The Wall Street Journal. He was set to retire Sunday, at which point he would have been eligible to receive a pension after 21 years of service; it is unclear how the preemptive firing will affect that benefit.
McCabe defended his integrity after the news broke, telling The New York Times: "The idea that I was dishonest is just wrong." He additionally tied his firing to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential collusion by the Trump campaign, saying in a statement: "The big picture is a tale of what can happen when law enforcement is politicized ... 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 added that his dismissal is "part of [the Trump administration's] ongoing war with the FBI and the efforts of the special counsel investigation, which continue to this day." Read McCabe's entire statement — in which he fiercely defends his honor — below. Kimberly Alters