Two government officials have revealed that the FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, has abruptly announced his resignation on Monday.
This comes after McCabe faced unrelenting criticism from some Republicans and President Trump. McCabe was scheduled to retire in March but he decided to submit his resignation more than a month early.
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A statement released by one official said that his accumulated leave time would allow him to qualify for full retirement benefits.
President Trump blamed McCabe for influencing the decision not to criminally charge his former election opponent Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server. However, the FBI has maintained McCabe had no personal conflicts, as he did not oversee that inquiry while his wife Jill McCabe was running for state office in Virginia as a Democrat.
Trump’s fixation on McCabe political leanings was apparent after he was appointed as FBI acting Director. The case escalated after Trump repeatedly referred to McCabe in public statements and tweets leading to the suspicion that the FBI was biased against Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/944666448185692166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">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?</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/944665687292817415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There’s also another potential data point looking into whether Trump tried to obstruct justice in the probe into Russia’s election interference.
The tensions between law enforcement and Republicans continue as Trump is expected to testify for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
There’s also a threat coming from Members of the House Intelligence Committee to make public a classified memo outlining alleged FBI and Justice Department abuses of surveillance authority. Such assertions have been rejected by FBI and Justice Officials on the grounds that the move would be reckless.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the president was not involved in McCabe's departure. Trump seized on McCabe's role in the Clinton inquiry and his wife's political bid, noting that Jill McCabe received nearly $470,000 from a political action committee associated with Clinton ally and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
"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 the investigation?" Trump tweeted in December.
Documents have been released by the White House showing McCabe's role in the Clinton case began in February 2016, three months after his wife lost her bid for a state Senate seat and following his appointment as deputy director.
If the Dems think that releasing the memo will be damaging to the US, maybe some people trusted to uphold our laws should think of the damage their corruption does before doing it.
#releasethememo