FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Leaving; Trump Prepares For State Of The Union
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- President Donald Trump's first State of the Union Address is coming up Tuesday night, and we can expect to hear a lot about his immigration plan that is being rolled out.
As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, it all comes as a major figure in the FBI is quitting.
Andrew McCabe was the director and second in command at the FBI, and a frequent target of Trump's. Now, he is stepping down, six weeks ahead of a planned retirement.
Trump ignored questions about McCabe on Tuesday, but in the past, he has been critical of McCabe's role in investigating Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State.
Republicans also accused McCabe of political bias because his wife ran for political office as a Democrat.
Sources from the FBI told CBS News that it was McCabe's decision. But it was a different story from sources inside the Justice Department, where word is that he was told to go.
The White House said it had no role in his departure.
"The president stands by his previous comments, but in terms of the situation today, as I just said, we've seen the reports just as all of you have," said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "We don't have any specific comments, and I would refer you to the FBI for any specifics on the things that are taking place today."
Meanwhile, White House officials said Trump will lay out more on his immigration plan.
"It's a big speech and an important speech. We cover immigration, and for many years - for many, many years -- they've been talking immigration. They never got anything done," Trump said. "We're going to get something done."
Trump is offering a pathway to citizenship for nearly 2 million Dreamers – people brought to the U.S. illegally. In exchange, Trump wants $25 billion for the border wall and security, changes to the visa lottery program, and an end to family-based migration, which the White House calls chain migration.
"The theme of the address is building a safe, strong, and proud America, which is exactly what the president has worked to do in his first year in office," Sanders said.
Infrastructure is another hot topic to watch out for in the speech Tuesday night is infrastructure. Trump wants more than $1 trillion to fix America's roads and bridges, but he is asking for $200 billion from the federal government.
The rest of the money is supposed to come from states, local communities, and private investors.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)