(RNN) – Attorney General Jeff Sessions has fired former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, just two days before he was expected to retire.
After McCabe stepped down in January 2018, CNN reported McCabe would retire in March so he can retain full benefits. He stepped aside but has been using his leave until that time.
He was expected to retire Sunday. He stands to lose the pension he's accrued in his nearly two decades with the FBI.
BREAKING: Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he's fired former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, effective immediately.
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 17, 2018
McCabe became the acting director after Trump fired then FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017. Once Trump appointed Christopher Wray, McCabe went back to the deputy director position.
When he was deputy director, McCabe was at the center of the conflict between the FBI and the White House. President Donald Trump had been pressuring McCabe to quit for some time.
Since late 2017, rumors have swirled that McCabe would quit when he became fully vested. Trump mocked the rumored decision in a tweet.
The president reportedly asked McCabe who he voted for in the presidential election and pressured him about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.
McCabe investigated Clinton’s use of a private email server. His wife ran for a state Senate office in Virginia and received donations from former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who has been linked to the Clintons for years.
McCabe alerted the FBI of his wife’s plans and followed protocol for conflicts of interest in investigations.
McCabe attended Duke University and obtained a law degree from the University of St. Louis in 1993. He joined the FBI in 1996.
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