McCabe stepped down after pressure from FBI director: report

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe stepped down from his post after facing pressure from FBI Director Christopher Wray to leave the position, The New York Times reported Monday.

Wray reportedly said he was concerned about an inspector general report about McCabe and other top Department of Justice officials’ actions during the 2016 presidential race.

The FBI was investigating both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of State and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia at the time.

{mosads}Wray offered for McCabe to be moved to another job at a lower level, but McCabe instead chose to leave the bureau.

McCabe’s departure had been anticipated for some time, and The Washington Post had reported he would retire in March.

But the announcement that he was stepping down on Monday was a surprise, and the Times reported that FBI employees learned of the development from the news as the FBI did not announce the exit internally.

McCabe has come under public criticism from President Trump, who has been frustrated with investigations of his campaign that he sees as led by a politically motivated FBI.

Trump has noted that McCabe’s wife was a candidate for state office in Virginia who took donations from a pro-Clinton super PAC.

The inspector general report is likely to look at the FBI’s decision to not bring criminal charges against Clinton and to renew its probe a little more than a week before the election — a decision Clinton has blamed for her loss.