3/17/2018
At 10:00 PM last night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Andrew McCabe. McCabe served as the FBI Deputy Director, second in charge at the bureau.
Sessions stated the primary reason for the termination was due to a “lack of candor”, questioning McCabe’s honesty. A particularly interesting take, especially coming from Sessions who has been less than candid himself (see video below). Many thought the termination was especially dickish of Sessions, considering McCabe’s retirement was only 26 hours away. McCabe served the FBI for 22 years under various presidents. However, his termination by Sessions left his pension in doubt.
McCabe refuted the allegations, stating “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.”
Many believed Sessions felt pressure to terminate McCabe from Donald Trump, who reportedly despised McCabe. McCabe had defended James Comey’s reputation shortly after Trump fired Comey last year. Trump was reportedly seething after McCabe testified before the Senate Intelligence Hearing where he made statements directly contradicting Trump’s assertions about James Comey and his job performance at the FBI.
After Sessions announced McCabes termination, the President showed his joy and glee by releasing the following tweet:
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
The President’s tweet may have added more ammunition to the argument that the President is obstructing justice by interfering with the FBI’s Special Counsel’s investigation into Russian interference of the 2016 elections. Every time the President fires or has people fired, gets involved or tries to influence the investigation, he is subject to charges of obstruction of justice.
McCabe stated he was “being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed” when the president fired Comey as FBI director.
Trump’s motivation for having McCabe fired seemed obvious to many people in Government, with former CIA Director John Brennan saying this about Trump: “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.”
Jeff Sessions claimed he fired McCabe in part because of his “lack of candor”. This video shows Sessions’ total lack of candor, honesty and transparency at a June 2017 Senate Hearing regarding Russian involvement in the 2016 elections. Sessions simply would not answer questions.
Tweet
