Trump: Firing of FBI Deputy is a Great Day for Democracy

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, described the firing of the FBI Deputy as a "great day for democracy." Jeff Sessions, the U.S. Attorney General, fired Andrew McCabe, the Deputy FBI Director, on Friday night, just two days before his retirement. Andrew McCabe played a major role in the FBI's investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails, Trump's electoral rival, and the possible Russian interference in the presidential elections. In the early hours of Saturday, March 17, U.S. time, Trump tweeted that McCabe's firing was a "great day for the hardworking men and women of the FBI and a great day for democracy." The U.S. President added, "James Comey was a liar and his boss was McCabe, who was treated like a lackey. He knew all the lies and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI!" However, Andrew McCabe issued a statement calling his firing part of the "war" of the Trump administration against the FBI. The former FBI Deputy said, "This is part of this government's war with the FBI and the efforts of Special Counsel (Robert Mueller) that continue to this day." Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel, has been investigating the possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia for months. He is also examining whether Trump's actions, including the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, obstructed justice. In his statement, McCabe said, "Their insistence on this campaign (against Mueller) only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel's work." Andrew McCabe stated that he was fired because of "the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed after the firing of James Comey (the former FBI Director)." McCabe had 21 years of experience at the FBI and played a significant role in several recent FBI cases. Over the past year, Trump has repeatedly accused him of being biased against the administration. After Comey's dismissal, McCabe became the acting head of the FBI, but his relationship with the administration quickly soured. The Associated Press reports that McCabe was set to retire on Sunday, and his firing two days early may complicate his access to retirement benefits. The "Office of Professional Responsibility" associated with the U.S. Department of Justice recently provided a report to Jeff Sessions, accusing Andrew McCabe of authorizing the leak of information about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails to a Wall Street Journal reporter in October 2016. The "Office of Professional Responsibility" also concluded that McCabe had not cooperated adequately in the investigations and recommended that he be removed from his position. McCabe has denied these allegations.