WASHINGTON--FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, criticized by President Donald Trump and other Republicans for alleged bias against him and in favour of his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, has stepped down, U.S. officials confirmed on Monday.
McCabe, who served as acting Federal Bureau of Investigation chief for more than two months last year after Trump fired agency director James Comey, had been expected to leave his post as the No. 2 FBI official in March.
The FBI said on Monday that David Bowdich, the No. 3 FBI official, would take over as Acting Deputy Director for McCabe. It did not comment on the circumstances surrounding McCabe's departure.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, asked about McCabe's departure, told reporters, "I can tell you the president wasn't part of this decision-making process." Sanders said Trump continues to have "full confidence" in FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was appointed by Trump to replace Comey.
McCabe had intended to stay on the job for about another six weeks when he becomes eligible for retirement, but he decided to leave earlier rather than be transferred into a lower-ranking post, according to a former senior FBI official familiar with the matter.
The earlier departure came amid concerns about an upcoming Justice Department inspector general report scrutinizing the actions of McCabe and other top FBI officials during the 2016 presidential campaign, the official said. During that period, the FBI investigated Trump campaign connections to Russia and Clinton's use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state. No charges were brought against Clinton.
McCabe began his career at the agency in 1996 as a special agent investigating organized crime. Trump's firing of Comey in May 2017 as the FBI was investigating potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia led to the Justice Department's naming of Special Counsel Robert Mueller to take over the probe. Trump later said he dismissed Comey over "this Russia thing," and the firing has become central to questions about whether Trump has sought to obstruct justice by impeding the Russian probe.
Last week Trump denied a Washington Post report that he had asked McCabe, shortly after he became acting FBI director, who he voted for in the 2016 election, leaving McCabe concerned about civil servants being interrogated about their political leanings. The Post reported that McCabe told Trump he did not vote in the election.
