FBI deputy steps down after Trump criticism

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has resigned, US media reported Monday.

McCabe has been a frequent target of criticism from President Donald Trump, who alleges bias against him and in favor of his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

What are reports saying?

• McCabe had been expected to retire in March. It was not immediately clear if his early departure was an outcome of Trump's criticism.
• McCabe alerted FBI staff of his decision Monday. He is expected to retire with his pension benefits.
• The White House claims that it has nothing to do with McCabe's departure, but Trump stands by his criticism.
• The Republican-dominated House Intelligence Committee has voted to release a memo that party members say could show that the FBI and the Justice Department were biased against Trump under his predecessor, Barack Obama.
• The president is reportedly not sure whether he wants to make the memo public.

DW Washington correspondent Michael Knigge said it was no surprise that Trump would have liked to get rid of McCabe given his closeness to former FBI chief James Comey.

Trump has often attacked McCabe: The president has repeatedly insinuated that the deputy director harbored a bias against him after it came to light that McCabe's wife received donations from a Clinton ally during a failed Senate run. Trump even reportedly asked for his removal. Earlier this month there were reports that Trump had asked McCabe who he voted for in the 2016 US presidential election. Trump denied the claims.

Where other Republicans stand:  Republican lawmakers have criticized McCabe and the FBI for letting off Clinton despite her using a private email server while she served as US secretary of state. Some Republican-led congressional committees are looking into whether the FBI botched the Clinton investigation and showed bias in her favor.

The Comey connection: McCabe led the bureau for months last year following the ouster of its previous chief, James Comey, who was heading the agency's probe into potential collusion between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. At a congressional hearing two days after Comey's firing, McCabe rejected White House assertions that Comey had lost the support of the FBI workforce.

Could the resignation affect the Russia investigation? It's not yet clear. The Russia probe headed by special counsel Robert Mueller is independent and is not tied to the FBI.

And what's the memo? Officially, only House Intelligence Committee members know — FBI officials haven't even been able to read it in full. It's an apparently explosive four-page document cobbled together by the body's chairman, the California Republican representative Devin Nunes, and charges that the Justice Department under President Obama was biased against candidate Trump. On Monday, the committee voted along party lines to allow the memo's release 

ap/aw (Reuters, AP)