President Donald Trump has once again lashed out at FBI officials, this time at two top leaders, using Tweeter to aim his criticism at the agency.
“How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?” Trump wrote in one of his tweets.
In another one, he targeted McCabe yet again, saying he was “racing the clock to retire with full benefits.”
Sources familiar with McCabe’s plans told CNN that he intended to retire in the course of the next few months, adding that he was not being forced to leave but rather planned to do so willingly.
Regarding the campaign donations Trump mentioned in his tweets, McCabe never received any for his wife’s campaign after he became deputy director, or had any oversight into the Clinton email probe. The donations the president referred to were all made before that time.
Trump’s criticism of the FBI’s deputy director comes amid Republican’s calls for his removal due to doubts about the credibility of Mueller’s investigation. Democrats, on the other hand, maintain the GOP’s criticism of McCabe is an attempt to undermine the special counsel.
The president also took to Tweeter to criticize FBI general counsel James Baker who, according to sources, is being reassigned.
“Wow, ‘FBI lawyer James Baker reassigned…,’” Trump wrote.
The Washington Post reported that the FBI lawyer had recently been caught up in an investigation into a leak which involved the bureau and the National Security Agency. The Post also reported that some NSA officials feared that details from a classified program had been revealed. The investigation, sources say, made Baker “distressed,” adding that he nonetheless expected to be cleared.
The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam Schiff, responded to President Trump’s criticism, saying that it would be dangerous for the FBI to give in to pressure from the president and the White House and force out public servants.
“President has already removed one top FBI leader — Comey — over Russia; McCabe would be another,” Schiff added.
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