Ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe apologized to investigators when he admitted to changing his story about green lighting a Wall Street Journal article that said the bureau was conficted on how to deal with the Hillary Clinton email probe.
The Daily Beast reported Thursday on new interview transcripts with McCabe and investigators that were released to the D.C. watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
McCabe’s admission left an investigator awestruck, saying ‘things had suddenly changed 180 degrees’ for the deputy director, as he could face prosecution for the about-face.
New transcripts obtained by the Daily Beast show that former deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, apologized in real time as he admitted that he had green-lit a Wall Street Jounral piece that said the bureau was conflicted on how to deal with the Clinton email probe
The article detailed ‘tensions’ within the FBI after more of Hillary Clinton’s emails were discovered on Anthony Weiner’s laptop days before the election. James Comey told Congress the probe had been reopened, something supporters said helped tank her campaign
The trouble for McCabe began on May 9, 2017, when he sat down with internal investigators to talk about a different leak to a media organization, Circa.
The agents also asked McCabe about a Oct. 30, 2016 story that appeared in the Wall Street Journal headlined, ‘FBI in Internal Feud Over Hillary Clinton Probe.’
The story detailed ‘tensions’ within the FBI and the Department of Justice on the heels of the discovery that there were more of Clinton’s emails on a laptop belonging to Anthony Weiner prompting the bureau to reopen the closed investigation that had haunted her presidential campaign.
With just days to the 2016 election, then FBI Director James Comey had written a letter to Congress saying the probe had been reopened, creating a media frenzy that bogged down the Clinton campaign. The Wall Street Journal story insinuated that not everybody at the FBI was happy with Comey’s decision.
McCabe was asked by the investigators if he had authorzied the article and he said he didn’t know its origins, according to The Daily Beast.
May 9, 2017 was also the day President Trump fired Comey, creating disarray at the bureau.
On Aug. 18, 2017, McCabe was asked about the Journal article again.
‘I need to know from you,’ the investigating agent said, ‘did you authorize the article? Were you aware of it? Did you authorize it?’
McCabe looked at the story and then answered in the affirmative.
‘And as nice as could be, he said, yep. Yep I did,’ the transcript quoted the agent saying.
The investigator quickly realized that McCabe could face criminal prosecution for the admission, noting, ‘things had suddenly changed 180 degrees with this.’
‘In our business, we stop and say, now we’re getting into an area for due process,’ the agent said in a side account of what transpired, according to the Beast.
‘I was very careful to say … with all due respect, this is what you told us. This has caused us some kind of, you know, sidetracking here now with some information other people have told us,’ the agent continued.
The investigator recalled airing frustrations to McCabe’s face.
‘I remember saying to him … sir, you understand that we’ve put a lot of work into this based on what you told us,’ the agent said. ‘I mean, and I even said, long nights and weekends working on this, trying to find out who amongst your ranks of trusted people would, would do something like that.’
And that’s when McCabe showed remorse.
‘And he kind of just looked down, kind of nodded, and said, yeah, I’m sorry,’ the agent recalled.
The Beast reported that McCabe’s lawyer explained what happened by pointing to Comey’s firing happening the same day the ex-deputy director denied getting the story out.
The story changed, the lawyer said, because McCabe wasn’t prepared to answer the question, and then he didn’t give it a second thought due to the chaos surrounding Comey’s ouster.