President Donald Trump went on a brief tweet storm Saturday because according to The Washington Post, the deputy FBI director has plans to step down. Sources, described as “people familiar with the matter,” said Andrew McCabe will step down in several months when he becomes eligible for a pension, which will happen in early March. McCabe and FBI spokespeople declined to comment.
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
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
Former FBI Director James Comey may have captured most media attention after being fired in May, but McCabe had to do the work. He served as Acting Director for the Bureau until the confirmation of new director Christopher Wray, a Trump nominee.
In the public sphere, McCabe is a favorite punching bag of some conservative pundits, as well as Trump. Even before Election Day 2016, the Trump campaign harped on political contributions from Clinton-ally Terry McAuliffe‘s political action committee to McCabe’s wife, a former Democratic candidate for the Virginia state senate. Watchdog group Judicial Watch obtained documents showing that he didn’t immediately recuse himself from the ongoing Clinton email investigation when he became deputy bureau director in February 2016. Critics used such details to argue that the probe was biased on Hillary Clinton‘s behalf.
The question over McCabe’s retirement is what it means for the FBI and its relationship with Trump. Nonetheless, some called the report of McCabe’s retirement part of political “purge.” Here’s the take from national security journalist, Comey friend, and Trump critic Benjamin Wittes, who wrote before Trump took to Twitter:
If Wray resists Trump pressure to remove McCabe until McCabe becomes retirement eligible and steps down on his own, that should not be seen as any kind of house cleaning. It is what people who care about the institution have been hoping for.
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) December 23, 2017
“If Wray resists Trump pressure to remove McCabe until McCabe becomes retirement eligible and steps down on his own, that should not be seen as any kind of house cleaning,” wrote Wittes. “It is what people who care about the institution have been hoping for.”
So yeah, as long as Trump doesn’t try to get rid of McCabe before March…It’s worth mentioning that this is Wittes response the president’s brief tweet storm.
The President of the United States is a profoundly bad person. pic.twitter.com/YEu9lNbG3D
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) December 23, 2017
[Screengrab via CNN]
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