Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired in March of last year, said Sunday during an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he thinks the investigations he opened into President Trump led to his exit.
“I believe I was fired because I opened a case against the president of the United States,” McCabe said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS.
McCabe is referring to investigations launched by the FBI into whether Trump obstructed justice when firing then-Director James Comey and another investigation centered on if Trump was acting in concert with Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
{mosads}The White House in a statement to CBS News accused McCabe of opening “a completely baseless investigation into the president.”
Trump lauded McCabe’s exit at the time in a post on Twitter, saying it was “a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI — A great day for Democracy.”
McCabe was ousted by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who cited a report by the bureau’s inspector general that found McCabe without authority gave information to a news outlet and lied about the leak.
In the lengthy interview with host Scott Pelley, McCabe reflected on his tenure at the FBI under Trump since he was promoted from deputy director to acting director after Comey was fired.
McCabe spoke about his “bizarre” interview with Trump when in consideration for the permanent position.