Andrew McCabe: Ex-FBI deputy will not be charged despite Trump's furious outbursts
Andrew McCabe's attorneys are told the case is closed and 'no charges will be brought against him based on the facts'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Justice Department has closed its case against former FBI director Andrew McCabe, declining to seek charges against him after he was ousted under Donald Trump in what he said was a politically motivated firing.
The decision resolves a criminal investigation that spanned more than a year and began with a referral from the Justice Department’s inspector general, which said Mr McCabe repeatedly lied about having authorised a subordinate to share information with a newspaper reporter for a 2016 article about an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation.
Mr McCabe’s lawyers said in a statement they were told in a phone call and letter that the case is closed and “no charges will be brought against him based on the facts”.
Mr McCabe, a frequent target of attacks from the president, has denied that he intentionally misled anyone. He has said his 2018 firing – for what the Justice Department called “lack of candour” – was politically motivated.
He sued the Justice Department in August, saying officials had used the inspector general’s conclusions as a pretext to rid the FBI of leaders Mr Trump perceived as biased against him.
In a letter on Friday, prosecutors told Mr McCabe’s lawyers that they decided “not to pursue criminal charges against your client” after careful consideration.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances and all of the information known to the government at this time, we consider the matter closed”, said the letter, signed by the chief of the US attorney’s office’s public corruption unit.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments