EX-FBI boss discussed removal of Trump
Mulled invoking 25th amendment after Comey firing
WASHINGTON • Former FBI deputy director Andrew Mccabe said in an interview Thursday he moved quickly after his boss was fired to protect an investigation into President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia and prevent it from being shut down in case he, too, was dismissed.
Concerned when Trump fired FBI Director James Comey not long after taking office, Mccabe also said Justice Department officials had discussed bringing the cabinet together to consider using the Constitution’s 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, according to CBS, which conducted the interview and will air it Sunday on “60 Minutes.”
CBS described Mccabe’s comments in a story about its interview but did not release excerpts from that part.
The Justice Department did not deny those discussions took place but said in a statement that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein does not believe there is a basis for invoking the 25th Amendment, which enables cabinet members to seek a president’s ouster if they believe he is unfit for office.
Mccabe’s interview comes ahead of the release of his memoir, “The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump.”
The book and the publicity around it are likely to refocus attention on the tumultuous period between Trump’s firing of Comey and Rosenstein’s appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate possible co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The situation strained relations between the FBI and Justice Department, with Mccabe becoming suspicious of Rosenstein and Rosenstein removing Mccabe from the Russia investigation.
Mccabe is a frequent target of Trump’s ire. He was fired from the FBI last year after the Justice Department inspector general concluded that he had lied during an internal investigation into a media disclosure. The allegations, which Mccabe has denied, have been referred for investigation to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington.
CBS said Mccabe also confirmed a report first published by The New York Times that Rosenstein had suggested wearing a wire to record conversations with the president.