- The inspector general of the Justice Department made the referral to the U.S. attorney’s office
- Andrew McCabe was deputy director under James Comey
- President Trump fired him about a day before his planned retirement
- IG Michael Horowitz sent a report to Congress saying McCabe authorized a leak and lied about it to investigators
- President Trump has gone after McCabe by name on Twitter, and a group of GOP lawmakers on Wednesday made their own criminal referral
The Justice Department’s inspector general has made a criminal referral for fired former FBI director Andrew McCabe, who is accused of leaking information to the media during the campaign and then lying about it to investigators.
President Trump fired McCabe last month about a day before he was to reach retirement – a move that deprived him of a portion of his severance.
‘This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally,’ McCabe said in a statement after he got sacked.
The IG says McCabe misled investigators over his role in a news media disclosure.
CNN reported the criminal referral Thursday.
The finding is contained in an inspector general report obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
The inspector general’s finding led FBI disciplinary officials to recommend that the Justice Department fire McCabe. Attorney General Jeff Sessions dismissed him last month two days before his scheduled retirement for what he described as a lack of candor.
McCabe has disputed that assessment, and issued a point-by-point rebuttal on Friday. He says that when he believed his answers to the inspector general were misunderstood, he went back and tried to correct them. His lawyer says the inspector general unfairly tried to conclude its work before McCabe could retire.
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