Attorney General Jeff Sessions Mulls Firing Andrew McCabe, Eliminating His Pension

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe's appeal to avoid indictment for lying to federal investigators has been rejected by the Department of Justice.

The pension of Andrew McCabe, the former Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from February 2016 to January 2018, is at risk.

When McCabe stepped down in January, it was reported that he would “remain on the FBI payroll until he is eligible to retire with full benefits in mid-March.” McCabe stepped down right before the Nunes Memo was released, alleging FBI misconduct in the Trump/Russia counterintelligence investigation (among other things), and the timing was suspicious to many.

NPR reported in December 2017 that McCabe would be retiring in March – so his stepping down earlier prior to a planned resignation added to suspicion about his motives for doing so.

The only motivation for McCabe to step down in January, while not officially retiring until March, would be in an attempt to simultaneously get out of the public eye early, but keep his pension, too. While he’s officially set to retire in just days, he could be “fired” before then, costing him his pension.

As ABC News reported,

The FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who remains on the payroll — a move that could put his pension at risk, according to officials familiar with the process.

McCabe, who has been with the FBI since 1996, is a civil service employee who can’t be fired without evidence of wrongdoing. The OPR recommendation that McCabe be thrown off the payroll follows an internal report from the DOJ inspector general that concluded he was not fully forthcoming in answers about whether he talked to a reporter concerning the FBI’s investigation into the Clinton Foundation. The IG report has not been made public, but may be released soon.

When it became public in January the McCabe had decided to step aside, FBI Director Chris Wray made it clear in a message to all bureau employees at that time that his departure was tied to the inspector general report.

So McCabe’s January departure didn’t have to do with the Nunes memo – but it still had to do with other misconduct on his part.

While the media will unquestionably portray the stripping of McCabe’s pension as a “cruel” move, he should’ve already been fired months prior.

Should McCabe still get a pension? Tell us your thoughts below!

By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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