Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Trinity '90, was fired Friday night.
in January, McCabe stepped down from his role as deputy director but remained on the FBI staff, allowing him to maintain eligibility for retirement in March. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement of McCabe’s firing came on the eve of the day he would have been eligible to receive a pension and retire from the Bureau.
McCabe wrote in a statement that his firing came after he and his family had suffered “unrelenting assault” on their reputation from the current administration. He noted that he endured significant criticism from President Donald Trump and members of the media who accused him of discontinuing the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton because of political pressure. McCabe also wrote that he believes his firing was an effort by the president to tarnish his credibility, particularly in light of then-FBI Director James Comey's dismissal last summer.
“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 wrote. "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.”
Last December, Trump tweeted a message directed at McCabe counting down the days until he would become eligible for retirement. McCabe wrote that a sequence of actions by the president represented efforts to damage his reputation and undermine the efforts of the Mueller investigation.
The New York Times reported that Trump was critical of McCabe being tasked with the FBI’s investigation of the Clinton campaign because his wife Jill McCabe, Trinity '90, had received donations from a political connection to Hillary Clinton. Trump expressed his skepticism in a tweet last July.
The Hill reported that several congressional Democrats extended offers to McCabe last week in order to help him reach the service needed to receive his pension, including one from Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.).
The controversy around McCabe’s firing appears to be far from resolved. On Monday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters that a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing related to McCabe’s firing would be “appropriate.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also expressed support for a Judiciary Committee hearing on the issue.
McCabe received his undergraduate degree in political science from Duke in 1990. He received his law degree from the Washington University School of Law in 1993, then joined the FBI in 1996.
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