Sesssions Pressured FBI Director to Purge Top Staff

Source: Newsweek Magazine




JEFF SESSIONS PUSHED FBI DIRECTOR TO CLEAR OUT TOP BUREAU STAFF AMID TRUMP-RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: REPORT

BY RYAN SIT ON 1/22/18 AT 9:22 AM

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has long been pressuring the FBI Director to make a "fresh start" and clear out the bureau's top staff—including deputy director Andrew McCabe—amid the backdrop of an intensifying investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign, according to a new report.

For several months, Sessions has been prodding FBI Director Christopher Wray to clean house, according to Axios. Sessions has singled out two officials for the chopping block: McCabe, who previously oversaw the agency’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server, and a top bureau lawyer, James Baker.

"The conversations about McCabe and the core team started shortly after Wray was confirmed," an unnamed senior administration source told the news site. "They intensified from there."

McCabe, the target of fiery Trump tweets in July and December 2017, is expected to retire after he becomes eligible for his pension in March, The New York Times reported. Trump appeared to mock McCabe’s delay in stepping down last month, tweeting, “FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!”

Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/jeff-sessions-donald-trump-fbi-786630