Andrew McCabe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew McCabe
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Official portrait, 2017
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| Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
| Acting May 9, 2017 – August 2, 2017 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | James Comey |
| Succeeded by | Christopher A. Wray |
| 17th Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
| In office February 1, 2016 – January 29, 2018 |
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| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Director | James Comey Himself (acting) Christopher A. Wray |
| Preceded by | Mark F. Giuliano |
| Succeeded by | David Bowdich |
| Associate Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
| In office July 30, 2015 – February 1, 2016 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Director | James Comey |
| Preceded by | Kevin Perkins |
| Succeeded by | David Bowdich |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Andrew George McCabe
March 18, 1968 Flushing, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jill McCabe |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Duke University (BA) Washington University in St. Louis (JD) |
Andrew George McCabe (born March 18, 1968) is an American lawyer. He worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for many years. The FBI is a government agency that investigates crimes and protects the United States.
McCabe served as the Deputy Director of the FBI from February 2016 to January 2018. He also became the acting Director of the FBI for a short time in 2017. This happened after the previous Director, James Comey, left the role. McCabe then worked as a professor at George Mason University. Since 2019, he has also been a contributor at CNN, sharing his knowledge about law enforcement.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrew McCabe was born in 1968. He went to The Bolles School in Florida. After high school, he studied at Duke University, graduating in 1990. He then earned a law degree from Washington University School of Law in 1993. During his time in law school, he gained experience by interning with the United States Department of Justice. Before joining the FBI, he worked as a private lawyer for three years.
Working for the FBI
McCabe started his career with the FBI in 1996 in New York. He was even part of the FBI's SWAT team. In 2003, he became a supervisor, working on cases involving organized crime.
He later held important leadership roles in different FBI divisions. These included the FBI Counterterrorism Division and the FBI National Security Branch. In 2009, he became the first director of a special program called the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group. This group researched ways to question important detainees. McCabe also helped investigate major events, like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Becoming Deputy Director
On February 1, 2016, FBI Director James Comey chose Andrew McCabe to be the Deputy Director of the FBI. This is a very important leadership position within the agency.
In July 2016, the FBI started an investigation called "Crossfire Hurricane." This investigation looked into whether the 2016 presidential campaign had worked with the Russian government. Both Director Comey and Deputy Director McCabe were kept informed about this investigation.
Acting Director of the FBI
On May 9, 2017, the President at the time, Donald Trump, removed James Comey as FBI Director. When the Director position is empty, the Deputy Director automatically becomes the acting Director. So, Andrew McCabe became the acting Director of the FBI.
He served in this role until August 2, 2017. That's when Christopher A. Wray was officially chosen and confirmed as the new FBI Director. After Wray took over, McCabe went back to his job as Deputy Director.
In 2019, McCabe shared in an interview that he had ordered an investigation into whether President Trump had tried to stop the Russia investigation. He said he wanted to make sure the investigation was on strong ground.
News Reports and Investigations
In October 2016, The Wall Street Journal newspaper published articles about an FBI investigation. These articles mentioned that McCabe might have a conflict of interest. This was because his wife, Jill McCabe, had run for political office in Virginia, and her campaign received donations.
The articles also discussed the FBI's investigation into the Clinton Foundation. McCabe had decided that the New York FBI office should continue this investigation.
In January 2017, the Justice Department's inspector general looked into whether McCabe should have stepped away from the Clinton email investigation. A year later, in January 2018, this investigation ended. FBI documents showed that McCabe had followed FBI rules about avoiding conflicts of interest. He had told the FBI about his wife's plans before she ran for office. He also did not oversee the Clinton email investigation while his wife was campaigning.
However, starting in July 2017, President Trump often criticized McCabe on social media. Trump suggested that McCabe should be fired because of these potential conflicts.
Leaving the FBI
In January 2018, Andrew McCabe announced he was stepping down as Deputy Director. He then went on paid leave. On March 16, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe. This happened just before McCabe was set to retire and receive his full pension.
Sessions said the decision was based on reports that McCabe had improperly shared information with The Wall Street Journal. The reports also said McCabe had not been truthful when questioned about it. McCabe disagreed with these claims. He said his firing was for political reasons.
Many people reacted to McCabe's firing. Some members of Congress offered him jobs to help him get his full pension. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray stated that McCabe's firing followed proper procedures and was not political.
In October 2021, McCabe reached an agreement with the Justice Department. He had filed a lawsuit saying he was wrongly fired. As part of the agreement, his firing was canceled. Records now show he retired in good standing. He also received his pension and money for his legal fees.
In July 2022, news reports said that both McCabe and James Comey had been chosen for a very detailed tax audit. This was unusual because the chances of both being randomly selected were very low. An investigation later concluded that these audits were indeed random and not politically motivated.
Personal Life
Andrew McCabe is married to Jill McCabe. She is a doctor who specializes in helping children. They have two children, a son and a daughter. McCabe is also a triathlete. He sometimes rode his bike a long distance to work from his home in Virginia.
Books
- The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump (published February 19, 2019)
See also
- Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
