Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe filed suit Thursday against the FBI and Justice Department, claiming that his March 2018 ouster — on the day he planned to retire after a 21-year career — was politically motivated retaliation driven by President Donald Trump, who was angry at McCabe’s role in the investigation of his campaign’s links to Russia.
“It was Trump’s unconstitutional plan and scheme to discredit and remove DOJ and FBI employees who were deemed to be his partisan opponents because they were not politically loyal to him,” according to McCabe’s lawsuit. “Plaintiff’s termination was a critical element of Trump’s plan and scheme.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, comes just two days after former FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok filed a similar lawsuit, alleging that Trump’s vendetta against him led to his unceremonious firing, despite a formal disciplinary process that recommended a less severe punishment. Strzok is seeking his old job back or compensation for his lost pay and benefits, while McCabe is seeking the reinstatement of his full retirement benefits.
Both suits are the latest in a string of examples of Trump’s tweets creating legal headaches for his team. Strzok and McCabe’s filings feature a litany of Trump tweets attacking the men for allegedly joining his political enemies and seeking to bring him down — contentions both men have decried as false conspiracy theories.
Though both men made plain their dislike of Trump, they say it never affected their official actions at the FBI. McCabe argues that Trump’s Twitter threats also coerced his subordinates at the Justice Department to do his bidding.
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Andrew McCabe is suing the DOJ.
The former FBI Deputy Director is claiming that his firing — on the day he planned to retire after a 21-year career — was a politically motivated retaliation by Trump, who was angry at his role in the Russia probe https://t.co/u5gfpZRr2H
— POLITICO (@politico) August 8, 2019
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