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Saturday 14 april 2018
Watchdog report: Ex-FBI deputy director misled investigators

BY ERIC TUCKER and MARY
CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — An-
drew McCabe, the fired
FBI deputy director, misled
investigators and his own
boss about his role in a news
media disclosure about Hill-
ary Clinton just days be-
fore the 2016 presidential
election and authorized
the release of information
to “advance his personal
interests,” according to a
Justice Department watch-
dog report.
President Donald Trump,
already furious over a forth-
coming book from fired FBI
Director James Comey,
lashed out after the report’s
release by saying McCabe
had “LIED! LIED! LIED!”
The inspector general re-
port concludes that Mc-
Cabe allowed FBI officials
to disclose nonpublic in-
formation to a Wall Street
Journal reporter for a story
about an investigation
into the Clinton Founda-
tion, violating agency rules,
and then misled FBI officials In this June 7, 2017 file photo, then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe appears before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing
when questioned about it. about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on Capitol Hill in Washington. Associated Press
It also reveals starkly con-
tradictory accounts from ing sensitive material,” the especially because of rev- The inspector general re- including his motivation for
McCabe and Comey statement said. elations that his wife, dur- port was sent to congres- firing Comey last May.
about how the conversa- McCabe has also said his ing a failed state Senate sional committees and ob- Yet the report makes clear
tions with the reporter had dismissal was part of the run, had accepted cam- tained by The Associated that the McCabe and
come to take place. Trump administration’s “on- paign contributions in 2015 Press. Comey were at odds over
McCabe, who was fired going war” on the FBI and from the political action Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Re- how the conversations with
two days before his sched- special counsel Robert committee of then-Virgin- publican chairman of the the reporter unfolded and
uled retirement last month, Mueller’s Russia investiga- ia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a House Oversight and Gov- exactly how it had been
denied the report’s allega- tion, adding that he was close Clinton ally. ernment Reform Commit- approved.
tions in a detailed rebut- singled out because of the The president has made a tee, said the report showed McCabe told the inspector
tal statement. He said that “role I played, the actions I concerted, Twitter-driven the firing was justified. But general that he had told
when he believed his an- took, and the events I wit- effort to impugn McCabe Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Comey the day after the
swers to the inspector gen- nessed in the aftermath” of as a partisan hack, accus- top Democrat on the Sen- story was published that he
eral were misunderstood, Comey’s firing. ing him of covering up un- ate Judiciary Committee, had authorized officials to
he went back and tried to The inspector general re- specified “lies and corrup- called the firing “overtly share details of a conver-
correct them. port does not square with tion” at the FBI and calling political.” sation he had with a top
McCabe’s statement not- the Republican narrative his firing a “great day for The findings, which had Justice Department official
ed that as deputy director of the FBI as a politically bi- Democracy.” On Friday, trickled out in news reports about the Clinton Founda-
he had full authority to au- ased institution, since the Trump said the inspector over the last month, led FBI tion investigation.
thorize sharing information Oct. 30, 2016, story con- general’s report was a “to- disciplinary officials to rec- The conversation involved
with the media and said tained derogatory informa- tal disaster” for McCabe ommend that the Justice an encounter in which Mc-
he permitted subordinates tion about Clinton and un- and asserted “McCabe is Department fire McCabe. Cabe confronted the of-
to do so in this case to cor- derscored FBI interest in in- controlled by Comey.” Attorney General Jeff Ses- ficial over the suggestion
rect a false narrative that vestigating her foundation. “No collusion, all made up sions dismissed him for what that the FBI should not be
he had tried to stymie an But its conclusion may also by this den of thieves and he described as a lack of taking overt investigative
FBI probe into the Clinton be hard for Democrats to lowlifes!” Trump tweeted. candor. actions against the Clin-
Foundation. embrace, given its harshly A lawyer for McCabe, McCabe, appointed dep- ton Foundation during the
The conversation “was critical suggestion that Mc- Michael Bromwich, said uty director in 2016, had course of the election by
done to protect the insti- Cabe had put his personal he was considering fil- been a close Comey ally asking,
tutional reputation of the reputation above the inter- ing a defamation lawsuit and passionately defend- “Are you telling me that I
FBI as a non-political and ests of the FBI. against Trump and his “col- ed him in a congressional need to shut down a val-
professional investigative Regardless, the report im- leagues.” He responded to hearing soon after his firing. idly predicated investiga-
agency, and therefore was mediately provided fodder Trump’s tweet by sarcasti- He could be an important tion?” The official replied,
squarely within the public for Trump’s public attacks cally thanking him for “pro- witness for Mueller, who is “Of course not,” according
interest exception to the on McCabe, a longtime viding even more material” investigating Trump for pos- to the Wall Street Journal
FBI’s prohibition on shar- target of the president’s ire, for such a lawsuit. sible obstruction of justice, story.q