The firing of former Acting Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe just 26 hours before he was set to retire has set off a political firestorm and the reasoning behind the decision is becoming more and more clear.
In an interview with CNN, McCabe made many stunning claims. One stands out, as McCabe described Trump’s obsession with McCabe’s wife and her run for state senate in 2015.
‘In May, when Director Comey was fired and I had my own interactions with the President, he brought up my wife every time I ever spoke to him. Of course, I disagreed with him. I don’t see my wife’s decision to try to enter public life to help her community (have) greater access to healthcare as a mistake or a problem.’
Andrew McCabe, 'He brought up my wife every time' https://t.co/rQrc72flKw
McCabe also opened up about how 45* appeared fixated on his wife's failed campaign, recalling at least four occasions in which Trump taunted him with it as a "mistake" or "problem" & called her a "loser."— StrictlyChristo ? ? (@christoq) March 17, 2018
Just eight weeks ago, NBC News reported that Trump confronted McCabe the day after FBI Director James Comey was fired, asking why Comey was allowed to fly home on an FBI airplane afterward. McCabe informed the president that he did not authorize the flight, but that he would have approved it if he had been asked. Trump is reported as having “turned on McCabe” and told him to “ask his wife how it feels to be a loser,” presumably a reference to Dr. Jill McCabe’s failed political run.
https://twitter.com/HannaStar99/status/975011618219347969
Trump has certainly made much of donations to McCabe’s wife in 2015, insisting they indicate that her husband is partisan and biased against him. In an interview with The New York Times, Trump made outlandish claims about those donations.
‘Look at what we have now. We have a director of the F.B.I., acting, who received $700,000, whose wife received $700,000 from, essentially, Hillary Clinton. ’Cause it was through Terry. Which is Hillary Clinton.’
Many of Trump’s claims against McCabe are easily proven to be less than factual, but the claims regarding those donations are simply untrue. Two donations were made, which totaled $675,000, and came from two separate sources: a super PAC created by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who has in the past been a Clinton supporter, and the Virginia Democratic Party, which is expected to donate to Virginia Democratic campaigns. There is absolutely no evidence that Hillary Clinton donated to or even knew about the donations.
Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017
Trump has also reportedly asked McCabe who he voted for in 2016, which is comparable to Trump’s demand for loyalty from Comey. McCabe insists that he tried to shut that line of questioning down immediately.
‘I didn’t vote at all in 2016, and I explained to him that I did not vote in 2016 because the work that we were involved in had such political overtones that I felt it was prudent not to take a side in an election.’
Since Jill #McCabe was a Clinton ally in the past, #Trump decided McCabe was against him.
McCabe actually worked against Clinton in #election2016. She helped the #FBI re: email server.
Trump taunted Mr. McCabe, called Jill a “loser” & even told #Comey. https://t.co/TUBEcBvyT1
— AngryOrLaugh (@AngryOrLaugh) March 17, 2018
The fact that McCabe’s actions and statements during the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State hurt and may have even damaged irreparably Clinton’s presidential bid has not, apparently, occurred to the president, nor has the fact that McCabe did not become the acting director of the FBI until well after his wife’s campaign had ended.
Remember when Trump asked McCabe to ask his wife how it “feels to be a loser”? (After her unsuccessful bid for a state legislature spot.)
The record is replete with evidence that Trump harbored personal animus toward McCabe.#DopeyDon has an #IQ45 https://t.co/W5r5q4KCJK
— Agent 99 (@AmyLaurenSomers) March 17, 2018
Featured image via Getty/Bloomberg