Andrew McCabe. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Andrew McCabe, former FBI deputy director, filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department.
McCabe was sued for his 2018 firing. He claimed it was politically motivated and fueled Trump.
McCabe was able to return his pension and benefits, and his firing record will be wiped clean.
Andrew McCabe was the ex-deputy director of the FBI and was fired just one day before he was due to retire. He won his pension back in a settlement with Department of Justice on Thursday.
After an investigation into McCabe's handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe. Justice Department officials found McCabe not forthcoming in the investigation and recommended that he be fired.
McCabe claimed that the firing was motivated by politics, citing multiple attacks made against him by then-President Donald Trump. In 2019, McCabe sued the agency.
McCabe's lawsuit stated that Trump's scheme and unconstitutional plan to discredit and eliminate FBI and DOJ employees was to remove them. McCabe claimed that they were Trump's partisan enemies because they weren't politically loyal to Trump. Trump's scheme and plan included a crucial element in the termination of plaintiff.
McCabe can now officially retire under the agreement, first reported by The New York Times. The FBI records will no longer show McCabe's firing and he will continue to receive his pension and other benefits. McCabe will also be paid back the amount of his pension payments that he missed. The Times reported that they totaled around $200,000.
The Justice Department didn't admit to any wrongdoing during the settlement.
McCabe stated in a statement that politics should not play any role in the fair administration and personnel decisions of civil service, according to The Times. I hope this result will encourage the FBI men and women to continue protecting the American people by speaking out for truth and doing their job without fear of political reprisal.
McCabe continued his criticism of Trump after he was fired from the FBI. He claimed that Trump's praise of Ashli Babbitt (the Capitol rioter killed by police during the attack) was "threatening law enforcement officers."
Business Insider has the original article.
