White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the decision to fire FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe will ultimately be left to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but said McCabe has had “some very troubling behavior” and is a “bad actor.”
“We do think that it is well-documented that he has had some very troubling behavior and by most accounts [is] a bad actor and should have some cause for concern,” Sanders told reporters during Thursday’s White House press briefing.
Sanders said the Justice Department and Sessions would determine whether McCabe is terminated.
McCabe’s is scheduled to retire from the bureau Sunday. He officially stepped down in January and went on “terminal leave.” McCabe becomes eligible for his full pension this month.
But that pension could be in jeopardy, as the Justice Department inspector general found McCabe wasn’t forthcoming during a review of his 2016 decision to let FBI officials speak with the press about a probe into the Clinton Foundation.
His failure to be forthcoming during the watchdog’s review triggered an internal report, during which it was recommended McCabe be terminated.
McCabe has frequently drawn the ire of Trump, who has taken to Twitter to air his grievances with the deputy FBI director.
Trump often cites McCabe when pressing the argument that some within the FBI have attempted to undermine his administration. His wife received campaign contributions from a group tied to a Clinton ally while running as a Democrat for the Virginia state Senate.
The president has also questioned why Sessions didn’t fire McCabe.
