Following the Department of Justice inspector general’s report that said former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe approved a media disclosure about the contents of a telephone call to advance his personal interests, a grand jury was impaneled by federal prosecutors to investigate McCabe.
Several witnesses have already been summoned to testify and the case is still in progress, although it is still unclear whom the grand jury has summoned. Yet, the sole existence of a grand jury indicates that McCabe’s actions as deputy director are taken seriously and may even result in charges against him provided that enough evidence is found, Fox News writes.
However, Michael R. Bromwich, counsel for McCabe, suggested that his client is unlikely to be prosecuted by the grand jury impaneled last month unless someone from the high levels of the administration pressures them into doing so. He further noted that the leak about the grand jury was a distraction from a “disastrous week” for President Donald Trump.
“Today’s leak about a procedural step taken more than a month ago — occurring in the midst of a disastrous week for the President — is a sad and poorly veiled attempt to try to distract the American public,” Bromwich said. “We remain confident that a thorough review of the facts and circumstances related to this matter will demonstrate that there is no basis on which criminal charges should be brought,” he added.
Republicans have mainly criticized McCabe for his connections to the Democratic party and opposition to the Trump administration. Donations made by the Clinton family to the political campaign of McCabe’s wife have also provoked Republicans’ ire. The former deputy director was fired only days before his planned retirement in March after Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz released a report alleging McCabe lied to investigators and former FBI Director James Comey under oath.
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