Fired Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe to shut down legal defense fund
Fired deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe said Monday that he will stop gathering donations for his legal defense through GoFundMe at 7 p.m. on April 2.
McCabe's GoFundMe page raised more than double what he had originally hoped it would. The original fundraising goal was $250,000, but as of Monday afternoon, it had collected over $550,000.
McCabe was fired last month after FBI ethics officials recommended his termination. In a statement at the time, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said McCabe "lacked candor -- including under oath -- on multiple occasions…" and added that "all FBI employees know that lacking candor under oath results in dismissal."
In response, McCabe said his firing – which occurred just the day before he was scheduled to retire – was part of President Trump's "war on the FBI." McCabe also said that he was "being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took and the events I witnessed in the aftermath of the firing of James Comey."
McCabe's GoFundMe page was started last week and raised its target amount within a matter of hours. Representatives for McCabe told CBS News that he was "very surprised" by the outpouring of support.
"I never imagined that I would need to rely on this type of assistance," McCabe said in a statement posted to the GoFundMe page. "The fact is that if I am going to continue taking a stand against the unfair way I have been treated, I will need the help of a talented and courageous team behind me."