By Judson Berger, Jake
Gibson | Fox News
McCabe
was former FBI Director James Comey's right-hand man
(Copyright 2017 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Top FBI official Andrew McCabe has been
"removed" from his post as deputy director, Fox News is told, leaving
the bureau after months of conflict-of-interest complaints from Republicans
including President Trump.
A source confirmed to Fox News that McCabe is taking
“terminal leave” – effectively taking vacation until he reaches his planned
retirement in a matter of weeks. As such, he will not be reporting to work at
the FBI anymore.
The move was first reported by NBC News.
McCabe has long been a controversial figure at the
bureau.
Republicans have questioned McCabe’s ties to the
Democratic Party, considering his wife ran as a Democrat for a Virginia Senate
seat in 2015 and got financial help from a group tied to Clinton family ally
Terry McAuliffe.
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McCabe's name has surfaced in connection with several
other controversies.
The Daily Beast reported that a GOP memo alleging
government surveillance abuse named McCabe, along with Deputy Attorney General
Rod Rosenstein and ex-FBI boss James Comey.
Incidentally, the McCabe removal comes after Wray viewed
the memo Sunday on Capitol Hill, as reported by Fox News’ Catherine Herridge. The removal also
comes ahead of a DOJ inspector general report regarding the handling of the
Hillary Clinton email probe.
Several Republicans also want to know what McCabe knew
about anti-Trump text messages between two bureau officials, including one that
seemed to reference an “insurance policy” against Trump winning the 2016
election.
“I want to believe the path you threw out for
consideration in Andy’s office - that there’s no way he gets elected - but I’m
afraid we can’t take that risk,” Peter Strzok texted on Aug. 15, 2016. “It’s
like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.”
Some lawmakers think "Andy" was a reference to
McCabe.
