Donald Trump Jr. tweet seems to claim Andrew McCabe was fired
Donald Trump Jr. seemed to indicate in a tweet Thursday that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired, which is not what the White House has said about McCabe's departure from the intelligence agency.
In a series of tweets about the controversial GOP memo detailing alleged surveillance abuses by the Justice Department and FBI, the president's eldest son seemed to claim McCabe was fired. The White House has insisted the president had nothing to do with McCabe's impending retirement from the intelligence agency, although the tenor of McCabe's departure has been unclear.
"I can tell you he didn't play a role in any of that process," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Monday.
The FBI reaction to the memo is Indicative of a lot. All of congress has seen it, not just the special committees. Also weird that for the first time ever the media wants less info? What are they hiding? https://t.co/zvVmBJ5BTU
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 1, 2018
It was good enough to fire McCabe, no one argues its factually inaccurate, but now days later they want to protect the names of those involved in a scandal that was big enough to fire a senior official a month before retirement? They don’t deserve a pass on that!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 1, 2018
The president's son also seems to connect the memo to the "unmasking" of Trump campaign officials.
Republicans on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, have insisted the memo has nothing to do with the Russia investigation.
This is getting scary. So McCabe got fired because of it and no one who has seen it (including FBI) seems to doubt the validity of it but now the people who help unmask private citizens want to mask the perpetrators identities? Do I have that right? Insanity. https://t.co/pBXUF0h7ml
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 1, 2018
CBS News reported Monday that McCabe is stepping down from the FBI, although there are competing narratives about the circumstances of his departure. One source told CBS News the DOJ is pushing a narrative that McCabe was "told to go," while within the FBI, sources said it was McCabe's decision. Trump Jr.'s tweet seems to be conflating the Russia probe with the examination of the FBI's handling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton's email server.
An internal communication written by FBI Director Christopher Wray and sent to FBI officials does link McCabe's early departure to results of an upcoming investigation by the DOJ's inspector general. Those results will say the FBI must perform at the highest standards, per a source who has read the communication. One source familiar with the situation said McCabe will remain on the FBI payroll until his 50th birthday in March. His retirement date is set for March 18.
Mr. Trump has publicly criticized McCabe, particularly over donations his wife's state Senate race received in 2015 from Hillary Clinton ally Terry McAuliffe's political action committee.
CBS News' Pat Milton, Jeff Pegues, Andres Triay, Jennifer Janisch, Len Tepper and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.