WASHINGTON: US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Friday fired Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s former No. 2 official who was deeply involved in the agency’s investigations of Hillary Clinton and Russia’s role in the 2016 US election and was repeatedly criticized by President Donald Trump.
McCabe said in a lengthy statement that he believes he is being politically targeted because he corroborated former FBI Director James Comey’s claims that Trump tried to pressure him into killing the Russia probe.
Trump ousted Comey last year and later acknowledged in a televised interview that he fired Comey over “this Russia thing.”
“Based on the report of the Inspector General, the findings of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, and the recommendation of the Department’s senior career official, I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe effective immediately,” Sessions said in a statement.
McCabe’s dismissal came two days before his 50th birthday, when he would have been eligible to retire from the Federal Bureau of Investigation with his full pension. The firing — which comes nine months after Trump fired Comey — puts McCabe’s pension in jeopardy.
It also is likely to raise questions about whether McCabe received an overly harsh punishment due to political pressure by the Republican president, who has blasted McCabe on Twitter and called for his ouster.
Comey’s firing paved the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to tap Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is now leading the investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump has denied there was any collusion.
“I am being singled out and treated this way because of the role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath of the firing of James Comey,” McCabe said in his statement.
“This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort ... to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally.”
McCabe had stepped down from his position as FBI deputy director in January but remained on leave pending retirement.
His departure was triggered by a critical report from the Justice Department’s inspector general that eventually led to a recommendation that he be fired.
The report said McCabe misled investigators about his communications with a former Wall Street Journal reporter who was writing about McCabe’s role in probes tied to Clinton, including an investigation of the Clinton family’s charitable foundation.
In his statement, McCabe denied ever misleading investigators.
He added that the release of the inspector general’s report was “accelerated” after he testified behind closed doors before the US House Intelligence Committee where he revealed he could back up Comey’s claims. Comey’s firing has become central to questions about whether Trump unlawfully sought to obstruct the Russia investigation.
McCabe could potentially be a crucial witness in Mueller’s investigation.
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US Attorney General Sessions fires former FBI no. 2 McCabe
US Attorney General Sessions fires former FBI no. 2 McCabe
Trump endorses Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Takaichi ahead of Sunday election
TOKYO: US President Donald Trump gave his “total endorsement” of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of a national election in Japan on Sunday, adding he looked forward to hosting her at the White House next month.
Japan’s first female premier, a conservative who said she draws inspiration from Britain’s “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher, was already expected to deliver a solid win for her ruling coalition, according to opinion polls. She is seeking a public mandate for spending plans that have rattled investors, and a defense build-up that could further strain relations with China.
Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, could capture around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house of parliament, the polls show, well up from the razor-thin majority they now control.
TRUMP’S BACKING A TAILWIND FOR TAKAICHI
“Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday.
“It is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing.”
Unlike his predecessors, Trump has increasingly sought to shape foreign elections. Analysts say his backing of Takaichi, 64, a nationalist and defense hawk, fits a growing pattern of aligning with right-wing leaders abroad.
On Thursday, he endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for a vote there in April and last year backed Argentine President Javier Milei, highlighting US financial support as a factor in Milei’s 2025 legislative success.
Even though Takaichi already appears poised for a commanding victory, Trump’s endorsement will resonate in Japan, Asuka Tatebayashi, a geopolitical analyst at Mizuho Bank said.
“From the perspective of the business community, improved relations and better recognition by Trump will be seen as a positive,” Tatebayashi said. “And even among the general population, Trump is surprisingly popular in Japan compared to some western countries.”
Japanese government spokesman Kei Sato declined to comment on Trump’s endorsement but confirmed that Trump had invited Takaichi to visit Washington on March 19.
“Amid a rapidly changing international situation, the visit is expected to provide an opportunity to reaffirm the unwavering bonds of the Japan–US alliance,” Sato told a regular press conference.
One of Takaichi’s first engagements after she was elevated to prime minister in October was to host Trump in Tokyo.
She gave him a putter used by his former golfing buddy, the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Lauded by Trump for breaking Japan’s glass ceiling, Takaichi pledged billions of dollars in investments in a meeting analysts said helped underline the strength of the Japan-US alliance.
CHALLENGES WITH CHINA, JITTERY MARKETS
Weeks later, however, she touched off the biggest diplomatic dispute with China in over a decade by publicly outlining how Tokyo might respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Trump, who is seeking to maintain a fragile trade truce with China, asked Takaichi in a private phone call in November not to further aggravate Beijing, sources told Reuters.
A resounding victory could hand Takaichi new clout in the dispute with China, current and former Japanese officials said, though Beijing has shown no signs of backing down.
Takaichi’s plans to strengthen Japan’s defenses will likely also draw more anger from Beijing, which has cast her endeavours as an attempt to revive Japan’s past militarism.
While the row with China is starting to weigh on the world’s fourth-largest economy, it has hardly dented Takaichi’s high approval ratings. She has even become an unlikely idol for some voters, who have been buying up the bag she carries and the pink pen she scribbles with in parliament.
Markets, however, have been less enamoured with Takaichi lately. Her election promise to help households cope with rising prices by suspending the sales tax on food has shaken investor confidence in an economy with the heaviest debt burden in the world.
In recent weeks, investors have fled Japanese government bonds and sent the yen into crisis mode on concerns about how Tokyo would pay for the estimated 5 trillion yen ($30 billion) hit to annual revenue.
However, with other parties touting deeper tax cuts and broader spending, a comprehensive victory for the LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the postwar era, could end up being the least-worst option for financial markets, analysts have said.
The outcome on Sunday may be affected by turnout among young supporters, who have supported Takaichi in large numbers but who tend to vote less than older cohorts. Record snowfall in some parts of Japan could also crimp turnout.
If the polls have it all wrong, and Takaichi loses her majority, she has said she will resign.
Japan’s first female premier, a conservative who said she draws inspiration from Britain’s “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher, was already expected to deliver a solid win for her ruling coalition, according to opinion polls. She is seeking a public mandate for spending plans that have rattled investors, and a defense build-up that could further strain relations with China.
Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, could capture around 300 seats in the 465-seat lower house of parliament, the polls show, well up from the razor-thin majority they now control.
TRUMP’S BACKING A TAILWIND FOR TAKAICHI
“Prime Minister Takaichi is someone who deserves powerful recognition for the job she and her Coalition are doing,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday.
“It is my Honor to give a Complete and Total Endorsement of her, and what her highly respected Coalition is representing.”
Unlike his predecessors, Trump has increasingly sought to shape foreign elections. Analysts say his backing of Takaichi, 64, a nationalist and defense hawk, fits a growing pattern of aligning with right-wing leaders abroad.
On Thursday, he endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for a vote there in April and last year backed Argentine President Javier Milei, highlighting US financial support as a factor in Milei’s 2025 legislative success.
Even though Takaichi already appears poised for a commanding victory, Trump’s endorsement will resonate in Japan, Asuka Tatebayashi, a geopolitical analyst at Mizuho Bank said.
“From the perspective of the business community, improved relations and better recognition by Trump will be seen as a positive,” Tatebayashi said. “And even among the general population, Trump is surprisingly popular in Japan compared to some western countries.”
Japanese government spokesman Kei Sato declined to comment on Trump’s endorsement but confirmed that Trump had invited Takaichi to visit Washington on March 19.
“Amid a rapidly changing international situation, the visit is expected to provide an opportunity to reaffirm the unwavering bonds of the Japan–US alliance,” Sato told a regular press conference.
One of Takaichi’s first engagements after she was elevated to prime minister in October was to host Trump in Tokyo.
She gave him a putter used by his former golfing buddy, the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Lauded by Trump for breaking Japan’s glass ceiling, Takaichi pledged billions of dollars in investments in a meeting analysts said helped underline the strength of the Japan-US alliance.
CHALLENGES WITH CHINA, JITTERY MARKETS
Weeks later, however, she touched off the biggest diplomatic dispute with China in over a decade by publicly outlining how Tokyo might respond to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Trump, who is seeking to maintain a fragile trade truce with China, asked Takaichi in a private phone call in November not to further aggravate Beijing, sources told Reuters.
A resounding victory could hand Takaichi new clout in the dispute with China, current and former Japanese officials said, though Beijing has shown no signs of backing down.
Takaichi’s plans to strengthen Japan’s defenses will likely also draw more anger from Beijing, which has cast her endeavours as an attempt to revive Japan’s past militarism.
While the row with China is starting to weigh on the world’s fourth-largest economy, it has hardly dented Takaichi’s high approval ratings. She has even become an unlikely idol for some voters, who have been buying up the bag she carries and the pink pen she scribbles with in parliament.
Markets, however, have been less enamoured with Takaichi lately. Her election promise to help households cope with rising prices by suspending the sales tax on food has shaken investor confidence in an economy with the heaviest debt burden in the world.
In recent weeks, investors have fled Japanese government bonds and sent the yen into crisis mode on concerns about how Tokyo would pay for the estimated 5 trillion yen ($30 billion) hit to annual revenue.
However, with other parties touting deeper tax cuts and broader spending, a comprehensive victory for the LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the postwar era, could end up being the least-worst option for financial markets, analysts have said.
The outcome on Sunday may be affected by turnout among young supporters, who have supported Takaichi in large numbers but who tend to vote less than older cohorts. Record snowfall in some parts of Japan could also crimp turnout.
If the polls have it all wrong, and Takaichi loses her majority, she has said she will resign.
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