McCabe hands over memos

WASHINGTON — Andrew McCabe, the FBI deputy director long scorned by President Donald Trump and just fired by the attorney general, kept personal memos detailing interactions with the president that have been provided to the special counsel’s office and are similar to the notes compiled by dismissed FBI chief James Comey.

The memos could factor into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as his team examines Trump campaign ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice.

McCabe’s memos include details of his own interactions with the president, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to discuss the notes publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. They also recount different conversations he had with Comey, who kept notes on meetings with Trump that unnerved him.

The disclosure on Saturday came hours after Trump called McCabe’s firing by Attorney General Jeff Sessions “a great day for democracy”.

Sessions said he acted on the recommendation of FBI disciplinary officials who said McCabe had not been candid with a watchdog office investigation.

McCabe was fired two days before his retirement date on Sunday. The dismissal jeopardizes his ability to collect his full pension benefits.

However, The Washington Post reported that a number of Democratic lawmakers have offered McCabe a job, which would allow him to collect his pension.

McCabe is said to be considering the offers, the newspaper said.