McCabe defends himself against firing in Washington Post op-ed

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe once again defended himself against the internal FBI report that prompted his firing, this time in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

“I have been accused of ‘lack of candor,’ ” McCabe wrote Friday in the Post. “That is not true. I did not knowingly mislead or lie to investigators.”

“At worst, I was not clear in my responses, and because of what was going on around me may well have been confused and distracted — and for that I take full responsibility,” he wrote. “But that is not a lack of candor. And under no circumstances could it ever serve as the basis for the very public and extended humiliation of my family and me that the administration, and the president personally, have engaged in over the past year.”

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe last Friday, alleging that he leaked information to the press and misled congressional investigators.

“Not in my worst nightmares did I ever dream my FBI career would end this way,” McCabe, a more than 20-year veteran of the bureau, wrote in his op-ed.

The No. 2 FBI official was also fired just two days before he was set to retire with a full pension.

McCabe has pushed back firmly on the claims surrounding his departure, saying his firing was an attempt to discredit the special counsel investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the election.

President Trump tweeted Saturday that McCabe’s firing was “a great day for democracy,” which McCabe said saddened him.

“I was sad, but not surprised, to see that such unhinged public attacks on me would continue into my life after my service to the FBI,” he wrote. “The president’s comments about me were … hurtful and false, which shows that he has no idea how FBI people feel about their leaders.”

In the op-ed, McCabe also wrote that there is “no greater responsibility, but there is no greater reward,” than public service, particularly in the FBI.

He also encouraged young people to pursue careers in the FBI and other agencies despite the political climate.

“We cannot afford for young people to be dissuaded from lives of public service by the divisive politics and partisan attacks that now so characterize our national discourse and that, I believe, played a major role in the end of my FBI career,” he wrote. “Set the headlines aside and give in to what draws you to this work. The country needs you.”

He added that working for the FBI is the “best job you will ever have.”

“Even if a president decides to attack you and your family,” he adds. “Even if you get fired on a Friday night, one day from your retirement.”