Deputy FBI Director Steps Down After One Year
February 6, 2018
On January 29, 2018, Andrew G. McCabe, F.B.I. Deputy Director, announced his resignation exactly one year after being selected. According to a Washington Post news article, he said “‘he “will not be swayed” by political pressure'”.
According to the Post, McCabe stepped down because of “an internal probe examining his handling of the bureau’s investigations into Hillary Clinton..” He had been pressured while investigating Hillary Clinton’s emails. However, a close ally of Clinton had donated money to his wife’s campaign when she was running in Virginia, therefore it might have been controversy.
The Post reported that he was supposed to retire in March and that the timing caught many by surprise.
McCabe was selected last year to be the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation after James Comey was fired. According to the LA Times, Comey and Trump disagreed on Russian and Hillary Clinton email investigations during the 2016 Presidential election. This resulted in him being let go from the FBI by the president.
Some students said they wanted to know more about this situation.
Kayshon Wright, a sophomore, said “I think whatever he [Trump] is pressuring them to do needs to … drop. He’s already forced two FBI directors to step out, its like they are doing the grunt work of executing but of whatever he’s pressuring them to do is making them quit. He obviously needs to let it go.
Junior Darrell Mensa said President Trump “loses trust from both the citizens and people in the White House. Not only that but he loses people’s respect leading to people not taking him seriously. which as the POTUS is really not beneficial.”
Freshman Isaiah McDonald said McCabe “made a good choice to leave. But he shouldn’t have let Trump get under his skin like that and make him quit his job early.”
McCabe’s departure has led to an interest in the relationship between the Trump Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation after the past year of different accusations about Russia and Hillary Clinton role in 2016 Presidential Election.