Andrew McCabe, former FBI deputy director and Trinity '90, will visit Duke April 9 to address the FBI's role in protecting America.
McCabe, who was ousted from the FBI in March 2018 after serving as a special agent for more than 21 years, was originally scheduled to visit the University last April. But that talk was canceled shortly after his firing.
Melanie Benson, program coordinator for American Grand Strategy, wrote in an email to The Chronicle that McCabe's "fireside discussion" will take place at 5:30 p.m in Page Auditorium. Tickets can be obtained online or through the Duke Box Office beginning March 19.
The American Grand Strategy-sponsored event will be titled “The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terrorism and Trump” and moderated by Peter Feaver, American Grand Strategy director and professor of political science and public policy. The event's title matches that of his recently released book, which details his career in the FBI and defends the bureau.
"Few civil servants have been closer to the center of the storm of our era than Andrew McCabe," Feaver said in a statement provided to The Chronicle. "This is an extraordinary opportunity to hear firsthand from someone who has played a pivotal role in the events that continue to dominate the news to this day."
After President Donald Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey in May 2017, McCabe took the reins as acting FBI director, but soon came under fire.
Trump reportedly questioned the source of some donations that McCabe's wife, Jill—also Trinity '90—received during her failed 2015 race for a Virginia state senate seat. During that campaign, Jill McCabe received $467,500 from a political action committee controlled by former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a close associate of the Clinton family.
This connection led Trump to allege bias in the way that McCabe and others handled the FBI investigation into former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's emails. McCabe has denied Trump's claims.
"This attack on my credibility... is part of this Administration's ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day," he wrote in a March 2018 statement following his dismissal.
After Trump's FBI director appointee Christopher Wray was confirmed in August 2017, McCabe returned to his deputy director role after being acting director for about four months. McCabe held the title until January 2018, when he stepped down from the position but remained on payroll.
However, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced McCabe's firing March 16, 2018—less than two days before McCabe would have been eligible for his pension.
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