The Fall of Andrew McCabe

On Friday the DOJ Office Of Inspector General issued a report that formed the basis of a recommendation for the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.  There is a DOJ and FBI policy which allows top officials to speak to members of the press if it is in the public interest.  Days before the 2016 election McCabe confirmed to the press the existence of a FBI probe into the Clinton Foundation.  This particular leak became a hot topic for DOJ officials and members of congress.

The Deputy Director disclosed details of an August 26th conference call with AG Loretta Lynch and top agents in the NYC field office.  Lynch warned agents against any overt actions in the lead up to the Presidential election.  In McCabe's account of this call he claims to have pushed back against the AG to defend the authority of the agents involved in the investigation.  McCabe's disclosure followed a story that questioned his impartiality in an investigation of the Clinton Foundation.  This is the self serving aspect of which the OIG's report speaks.

McCabe's impartiality became questionable after it was learned that Jill McCabe's run for a Virginia Senate seat had received large donations from a PAC affiliated with then governor Terry McAuliffe, a gold star member of the Clinton inner circle.

Is it just me or does amounts totaling nearly three quarters of a million for a state senate seat seem fair game for speculation?  McCabe's wife, Jill, was unlikely to win in this district.  And given the close nature of the Virginia legislature I can be persuaded that McAuliffe may having been trying to buy a seat here.  But I can also see where this might have gone a long way in buying favor with a top law enforcement official.  And there's a word for that.  On the surface there is nothing illegal with the money donated to Jill McCabe's campaign.

Lying to the FBI is illegal.  And while this has not been proven in court the OIG found that McCabe misled Director Comey and denied having made the leak to investigators under oath.  

The certainty of a Clinton victory serves as context to the actions of both Comey and McCabe.  Both of these gentlemen appear to have been setting the stage to defend FBI investigations into the various Clinton scandals.  What sort of overt actions was Loretta Lynch concerned about?  The pursuit of Trump associates using gestapo like tactics stands in stark contrast to the fairy tale of any Clinton investigation.