FBI Deputy Director McCabe a frequent Trump target abruptly leaves post
Andrew McCabe
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe  a target of frequent and aggressive criticism by President Donald Trump  abruptly stepped down from his position Monday ahead of his planned retirement this spring.
 McCabe   who has held a number of FBI leadership roles and been heavily involved in investigations into major crimes including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing  becomes eligible for retirement in a matter of weeks. FBI staff learned Monday that  McCabe  was leaving the bureau's No. 2 post effective immediately  according to people who spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal personnel move. He is expected to retire with full pension benefits.
In a message Monday to FBI employees  Wray said  McCabe  would be retiring on March 18 and denied that the move stemmed from political pressure.
The exit comes amid multiple ongoing investigations  including a Justice Department watchdog probe into the actions of  McCabe  and other top FBI officials during the Clinton email probe. In addition  special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign improperly coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump sought to obstruct the inquiry by  among other actions  firing Comey.
 McCabe  has been repeatedly assailed by Trump since the fall of 2016  when it was revealed that  his  wife had accepted campaign contributions from the political action committee of then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe  a Democrat and close Clinton ally  during a failed state Senate run. That episode is among the decisions under review by the Justice Department's inspector general  which is expected to complete its report soon.
The FBI has said  McCabe  received the necessary ethics approval  and that at the time of the contributions   he  was not in a supervisory role on the Clinton email investigation. But that has not stopped Trump and Republicans in Congress from repeatedly asserting that  McCabe   and other FBI officials  are partisan law enforcement officials harboring a bias against him.
Responding to December news reports that  McCabe  would retire  the president wrote: "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?"
Another of the president's tweets from last year said: "Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe  a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation " referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Though  McCabe  has pushed back against White House narratives that Comey was not well-liked within the bureau  and that an ongoing FBI investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia was not a significant matter for the FBI   he  has not publicly discussed in detail  his  interactions with Trump or shared any personal observations of the president.
That could change upon  his  departure from the FBI. Comey  for instance  after his firing authorized a close friend to share with reporters details of his own encounters with the president that he said troubled him. And former CIA Director John Brennan and James Clapper  the retired director of national intelligence  have been outspoken about their own views of Trump.
He took over as acting director following Trump's May 9 firing of Comey  and was among the officials interviewed for the position  which ultimately went to Wray  a former Justice Department official. The Washington Post reported last week that Trump asked  McCabe  whom he had voted for in the presidential election. Trump has said he does not recall asking that question.
 McCabe 's defenders call  him  a thoughtful  intelligent and committed career agent.
Comey tweeted that  McCabe  "stood tall over the last 8 months  when small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on."
Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted: " FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe  is  and has been  a dedicated public servant who has served this country well. Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term  unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government."
Two days after Comey's firing   McCabe  appeared at a congressional hearing and contradicted a White House assertion that Comey had lost the support of FBI rank-and-file. He declared  "I can tell you that the majority  the vast majority of FBI employees  enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey."
FBI Deputy Director [TGT]  a target of frequent and aggressive criticism by President Donald Trump  abruptly stepped down from his position Monday ahead of his planned retirement this spring.
 McCabe   who has held a number of FBI leadership roles and been heavily involved in investigations into major crimes including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing  becomes eligible for retirement in a matter of weeks. FBI staff learned Monday that  McCabe  was leaving the bureau's No. 2 post effective immediately  according to people who spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal personnel move. He is expected to retire with full pension benefits.
In a message Monday to FBI employees  Wray said  McCabe  would be retiring on March 18 and denied that the move stemmed from political pressure.
The exit comes amid multiple ongoing investigations  including a Justice Department watchdog probe into the actions of  McCabe  and other top FBI officials during the Clinton email probe. In addition  special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign improperly coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump sought to obstruct the inquiry by  among other actions  firing Comey.
 McCabe  has been repeatedly assailed by Trump since the fall of 2016  when it was revealed that  his  wife had accepted campaign contributions from the political action committee of then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe  a Democrat and close Clinton ally  during a failed state Senate run. That episode is among the decisions under review by the Justice Department's inspector general  which is expected to complete its report soon.
The FBI has said  McCabe  received the necessary ethics approval  and that at the time of the contributions   he  was not in a supervisory role on the Clinton email investigation. But that has not stopped Trump and Republicans in Congress from repeatedly asserting that  McCabe   and other FBI officials  are partisan law enforcement officials harboring a bias against him.
Responding to December news reports that  McCabe  would retire  the president wrote: "How can  FBI Deputy Director [TGT]  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?"
Another of the president's tweets from last year said: "Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director [TGT]  a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation " referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Though  McCabe  has pushed back against White House narratives that Comey was not well-liked within the bureau  and that an ongoing FBI investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia was not a significant matter for the FBI   he  has not publicly discussed in detail  his  interactions with Trump or shared any personal observations of the president.
That could change upon  his  departure from the FBI. Comey  for instance  after his firing authorized a close friend to share with reporters details of his own encounters with the president that he said troubled him. And former CIA Director John Brennan and James Clapper  the retired director of national intelligence  have been outspoken about their own views of Trump.
He took over as acting director following Trump's May 9 firing of Comey  and was among the officials interviewed for the position  which ultimately went to Wray  a former Justice Department official. The Washington Post reported last week that Trump asked  McCabe  whom he had voted for in the presidential election. Trump has said he does not recall asking that question.
 McCabe 's defenders call  him  a thoughtful  intelligent and committed career agent.
Comey tweeted that  McCabe  "stood tall over the last 8 months  when small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on."
Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted: " FBI Deputy Director [TGT]  is  and has been  a dedicated public servant who has served this country well. Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long term  unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government."
Two days after Comey's firing   McCabe  appeared at a congressional hearing and contradicted a White House assertion that Comey had lost the support of FBI rank-and-file. He declared  "I can tell you that the majority  the vast majority of FBI employees  enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey."