Taunted by Trump and Pressured From Above, McCabe Steps Down as F.B.I. Deputy
"Part 132, some of Russian..."
By ADAM GOLDMAN and MATT APUZZOJAN. 29, 2018
Andrew G. McCabe in May 2017. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Andrew G. McCabe abruptly stepped down on Monday as the F.B.I.’s deputy director after months of withering criticism from President Trump, telling friends he felt pressure from the head of the bureau to leave, according to two people close to Mr. McCabe.
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Staff overhauls are common when new F.B.I. directors take office, but the president’s combative relationships with the bureau and the Justice Department have added commotion and unpredictability to what is more typically an orderly process. Mr. Trump’s public antipathy has also complicated the early tenure of Mr. Wray, whose every staffing decision now risks being seen as directed by the White House.
Underscoring the tumult, Mr. McCabe’s departure was not immediately announced at the bureau, leaving agents to learn of it from news reports. Mr. Wray named the bureau’s No. 3 official, David L. Bowdich, as his acting deputy, according to the director’s note to the F.B.I.
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In addition to Mr. McCabe, Mr. Wray has also replaced two other top aides. In December it was announced that James A. Baker, the F.B.I. general counsel, was moving into another role. Mr. Baker was a confidant of Mr. Comey’s and played a key role in the Clinton email investigation. This month, Jim Rybicki, chief of staff to Mr. Wray and Mr. Comey, said he was taking a job in the private sector.
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