Susan Wright on the Right
We can make a lot of assumptions about why the former deputy director for the FBI, Andrew McCabe is saying what he’s saying in his book, “The Threat.” At the top of the list, as I’ve pointed out previously, we could make the argument that this is sour grapes, the revenge of a man who was fired after over 20 years of service to the country, with only 2 days left until he could retire with full benefits.
He’s mad, and under the circumstances, I don’t know many who wouldn’t feel the same way.
Still, is it only a grudge, or is there a real reason for concern?
First, we have to remember the explanation given for McCabe’s firing.
He allegedly authorized FBI agents to talk to the media, then lied to investigators about it, afterwards.
McCabe could have been released immediately, but Trump let it linger, in order to deliver extra insult by firing him, just before he could have retired and collected his benefits for several decades of service.
Anyone who doesn’t think the timing of the firing was meant to cause extra pain have not paid attention to who Trump is.
McCabe is simply the latest in a long line of Trump casualties to write a tell-all about his experiences.
Over the weekend, McCabe appeared on “60 Minutes” to talk about his experiences working under President Trump, and he voiced his belief that there was enough going on with the then-newly seated president to warrant an investigation, after the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
“And the idea is, if the president committed obstruction of justice, fired the director of the of the FBI to negatively impact or to shut down our investigation of Russia’s malign activity and possibly in support of his campaign, as a counterintelligence investigator you have to ask yourself, “Why would a president of the United States do that?” McCabe said.
He added: “So all those same sorts of facts cause us to wonder is there an inappropriate relationship, a connection between this president and our most fearsome enemy, the government of Russia?”
I have to remind everyone that while a new president doesn’t need a reason to fire or appoint whoever he wishes for those positions, he took to national television to say James Comey was fired because he wouldn’t stop the Russia investigation.
In May 2017, after Comey was fired, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to probe the connection between Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and the Trump campaign.
According to McCabe, Rosenstein was equally convinced that a separate probe was necessary.
McCabe also revealed that when Trump told Rosenstein to put in writing his concerns with Comey — a document the White House initially held up as justification for his firing — the president explicitly asked the Justice Department official to reference Russia in the memo. Rosenstein did not want to, McCabe said, and the memo that was made public upon Comey’s dismissal did not mention Russia and focused instead on Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation.
“He explained to the president that he did not need Russia in his memo,” McCabe said. “And the president responded, “I understand that, I am asking you to put Russia in the memo anyway.”
President Trump didn’t realize how either insinuating or saying outright that a federal official was let go because of an investigation into a hostile foreign power interfering in a U.S. election made him look guilty as sin.
The reference to Russia was left out of the initial letters from Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, focusing only on Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton emails.
Trump just couldn’t let it go. Had he taken the advice of those around him and stuck to Clinton’s emails, the entire Russia debacle would likely be over, by now. Both the House and Senate committees investigating would have wrapped up, and we’d be on to other things.
And why was he so determined to get Michael Flynn, his first national security adviser, off the hook?
“Put together, these circumstances were articulable facts that indicated that a crime may have been committed,” McCabe said. “The president may have been engaged in obstruction of justice in the firing of Jim Comey.”
In McCabe’s wide ranging interview, he expressed his belief that he was fired for the investigation into Trump is what ultimately led to his dismissal, not talking to reporters.
So what about that 25th Amendment question?
According to McCabe, it was brought up between he and Rosenstein, with the deputy attorney general considering how many administration figures would sign on, should it come to that.
When questioned earlier, the Justice Department denied Rosenstein felt there was a call for a 25th Amendment fix.
But then, what was he supposed to say?
McCabe is getting a lot of attention for his book, right now.
How bad is it?
Bad enough that the president has been raging on social media for days about it. Earlier Monday, he lashed out again:
Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying, and now his story gets even more deranged. He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2019
….There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for them with the Military, Vets, Economy and so much more. This was the illegal and treasonous “insurance policy” in full action!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2019
So if all of these people with similar stories are in the wrong, why does Trump get so manic and upset about it?
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