McCabe Confirms DOJ Discussed Removing Trump - Report
CBS News correspondent Scott Pelley told “CBS This Morning” on Thursday that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe shared details of his investigation into President Donald Trump in a “60 Minutes” interview, and that McCabe confirmed the 25th Amendment was discussed as a means to impeach the president.
The former FBI deputy director, who recently wrote a book about his time at the FBI, was fired in March of 2018 after it was discovered that he lied to investigators about a leak in the bureau.
In an excerpt of the interview broadcast on CBS Thursday morning, McCabe said he was “troubled” about the possibility Trump had colluded with Russia.
“I was speaking to the man who had just run for the presidency and won the election for the presidency and who might have done so with the aid of the government of Russia, our most formidable adversary on the world stage. And that was something that troubled me greatly,” McCabe said in reference to a May 10, 2017 phone conversation he had with the president.
That phone call, which is detailed in McCabe’s book, “The Threat,” focused on Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey, Fox News reported.
McCabe said it was one day after that conversation that he decided to move forward on obstruction of justice and counterintelligence investigations involving the president and possible ties to Russia.
“I think the next day I met with the team investigating the Russia cases and I asked the team to go back and conduct an assessment to determine where are we with these efforts and what steps do we need to take going forward,” McCabe told Pelley. “I was very concerned that I was able to put the Russia case on absolutely solid ground in an indelible fashion, that were I removed quickly or reassigned or fired that the case could not be closed or vanish in the night without a trace.”
"I was speaking to the man who had just run for the presidency and won the election for the presidency and who might have done so with the aid of the government of Russia, our most formidable adversary on the world stage. And that was something that troubled me greatly." -McCabe pic.twitter.com/dDWUYH5lbJ
— Norah O'Donnell 🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) February 14, 2019
On “CBS This Morning,” Pelley revealed more details of what was said in the interview, including McCabe’s confirmation that serious discussions took place about removing the president from office via the 25th Amendment.
“They were counting noses,” Pelley said. “They were not asking cabinet members whether they would vote for or against removing the president, but they were speculating, ‘this person would be with us, that person would not be,’ and they were counting noses in that effort.”
There was a discussion underway about removing the president of the US? –@NorahODonnell
"They were counting noses, they were not asking cabinet member whether they would vote for or against removing the president, but they were speculating" –@ScottPelley pic.twitter.com/R0ZTaKem72
— Norah O'Donnell 🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) February 14, 2019
“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Pelley said, according to CBS. “These were the eight days from Comey’s firing to the point that Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel. And the highest levels of American law enforcement were trying to figure out what do with the president.”
McCabe wrote in his book that he urged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint a special counsel.
“He asked for my thoughts about whether we needed a special counsel to oversee the Russia case. I said I thought it would help the investigation’s credibility,” McCabe wrote, according to Fox.
Pelley said McCabe also confirmed that Rosenstein offered to wear a wire in meetings with Trump, an accusation Roseinstein has denied in the past.
“I never pursued or authorized recording the president, and any suggestion that I have ever advocated for the removal of the president is absolutely false,” Rosenstein said in a statement in September.
The possibility of impeaching the president was also discussed in a May 2017 meeting with McCabe, Rosenstein, as well as former FBI counsel Lisa Page, Fox reported.
A Justice Department spokesperson told Fox News that Rosenstein “again rejects Mr. McCabe’s recitation of events as inaccurate and factually incorrect.”
“As the Deputy Attorney General previously has stated, based on his personal dealings with the President, there is no basis to invoke the 25th Amendment, nor was the DAG in a position to consider invoking the 25th Amendment,” the spokesman said in a statement Thursday, Fox reported.
“Finally, the Deputy Attorney General never spoke to Mr. Comey about appointing a Special Counsel. The Deputy Attorney Genera in fact appointed Special Counsel Mueller, and directed that Mr. McCabe be removed from any participation in that investigation.”
On Thursday morning, the president harshly criticized McCabe.
“Disgraced FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe pretends to be a ‘poor little Angel’ when in fact he was a big part of the Crooked Hillary Scandal & the Russia Hoax – a puppet for Leakin’ James Comey. I.G. report on McCabe was devastating. Part of ‘insurance policy’ in case I won,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning, referencing a 2016 text from FBI agent Peter Strzok to FBI lawyer Lisa Page that referred to “an insurance policy” in the event that Trump won the presidential election.
Disgraced FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe pretends to be a “poor little Angel” when in fact he was a big part of the Crooked Hillary Scandal & the Russia Hoax – a puppet for Leakin’ James Comey. I.G. report on McCabe was devastating. Part of “insurance policy” in case I won….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2019
….Many of the top FBI brass were fired, forced to leave, or left. McCabe’s wife received BIG DOLLARS from Clinton people for her campaign – he gave Hillary a pass. McCabe is a disgrace to the FBI and a disgrace to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2019
“Many of the top FBI brass were fired, forced to leave, or left. McCabe’s wife received BIG DOLLARS from Clinton people for her campaign – he gave Hillary a pass,” Trump tweeted. “McCabe is a disgrace to the FBI and a disgrace to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The White House also responded to the interview with an official statement: “Andrew McCabe was fired in total disgrace from the FBI because he lied to investigators on multiple occasions, including under oath. His selfish and destructive agenda drove him to open a completely baseless investigation into the President. His actions were so shameful that he was referred to federal prosecutors. Andrew McCabe has no credibility and is an embarrassment to the men and women of the FBI and our great country.”
The full “60 Minutes” interview with Pelley and McCabe will air on Sunday, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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