Andrew McCabe described his firing Friday as part of President Donald Trump’s “ongoing war” with the FBI and special counsel.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired the former FBI deputy director Friday, less than two days shy of his retirement.
“This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally,” McCabe said in a statement.
“It is part of this Administration’s ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel’s work,” he added.
McCabe had been regularly taunted by Trump and besieged by accusations that he had misled internal investigators at the Justice Department.
He had been expected to retire Sunday, on his 50th birthday, when he would have become eligible to receive early retirement benefits. His termination could place a portion of his anticipated pension, earned after more than two decades of service, in significant jeopardy.