Former deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe was named acting director after James Comey was suddenly fired Tuesday.
Fewer than 48 hours after taking over, McCabe testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asserting that Comey’s firing by President Donald Trump has had no impact on an ongoing Russia investigation.
McCabe, 49, had served as deputy director since February 2016 with Comey, where he has largely been focused on the Russia investigation as well as a probe into Clinton’s use of a private email server for government business while she served as secretary of state.
Justice Department officials have spoken with McCabe in recent days as they interview potential candidates to replace Comey, but it is not clear how seriously he is being considered for the position.
NY, Washington field office
Since he joined the FBI as a special agent in the New York field office in 1996, McCabe has held a number of positions including supervising the Washington field office. He also held leadership positions in counterterrorism and national security.
During his time in Washington, McCabe was involved in the investigation into the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the arrest and interrogation of Ahmed Abu Khattala – a suspect in the attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya in 2012.
In 2015, just before he was named deputy director of the agency, McCabe came under scrutiny when his wife accepted $500,000 for a failed state Senate campaign in Virginia from the political organization of Governor Terry McAuliffe, a close Clinton ally.
The incident, and whether he should have recused himself, have come under scrutiny as the Department of Justice continues to probe the FBI’s handling of Clinton’s use of the private server. The FBI has said that McCabe consulted ethics officers when his wife first considered running for office on guidance to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
McCabe graduated from Duke University and obtained a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
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