Jeff Sessions ‘could fire a top FBI official days before retirement’

Internal review said to conclude Andrew McCabe misled investigators

Andrew McCabe announced he was stepping aside in January (REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein)

An internal investigation concluded Mr McCabe misled investigators who were looking into his decision to let FBI officials speak to the media about a probe into the Clinton Foundation, leading the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility to recommend Attorney General Jeff Sessions fire Mr McCabe, according to CNN and the New York Times.

A Justice Department representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr McCabe announced that he was stepping aside in January and taking a leave of absence. It had been widely rumoured that he was planning to retire once he became eligible for a full pension this month.

His departure followed months of attacks from Mr Trump, who has lambasted the Department of Justice and the FBI as compromised by the presence of partisan officials.

The President repeatedly took to Twitter to blast Mr McCabe’s role overseeing FBI investigations of the Clinton Foundation - a philanthropic enterprise established by former President Bill Clinton - and of former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State.

“FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!” Mr Trump wrote in December.

The President has assailed donations to Mr McCabe’s wife, a Democrat running for a spot in Virginia’s state legislature, from a political group overseen by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, a Clinton ally.

Republicans, including Trump campaign surrogates, have suggested that Ms Clinton traded donations to the Clinton Foundation for influence. Representatives for Ms Clinton have said she never acted in an official capacity based on donations.

After Mr McCabe stepped aside in January, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr Trump did not play a role in the decision.

Ms Sanders also deflected questions about a report that Mr Trump asked Mr McCabe who he voted for in the 2016 election, saying the two “have had limited and pretty non-substantive conversations”.