FBI Recommends to Fire Andrew McCabe – Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility has recommended firing the agency’s former deputy director Andrew McCabe for authorizing the release of sensitive information to a reporter and then misleading investigators about his decision, US media reported on Wednesday.

The Justice Department is still reviewing the case and has not yet made a decision on whether to fire McCabe, who is scheduled to retire on Sunday, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials who have been briefed on the case.

McCabe resigned from his post as deputy director in January, but has remained an employee on leave with the bureau. If he retires on Sunday and is not fired, he will be eligible for his full pension.

The Justice Department's inspector general was reviewing McCabe's 2016 decision to allow FBI officials to speak to reporters about the bureau's investigation into the Clinton Foundation, the New York Times reported. The investigation concluded that McCabe misled investigators during the review, the report said.

A report on the investigation was then sent to the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility, which recommended that McCabe be fired, according to the report.

The decision of whether to fire McCabe now rests with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the report added.