McCabe: Conservative media ‘obsessed with finding some indication of a set-up’ of Flynn

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe declared on Friday that “conservative media has been obsessed with finding some indication of a set-up” of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

McCabe, a current CNN contributor, added that Flynn “was not targeted” by the FBI. McCabe was fired from the FBI in 2018 after being accused of lying to investigators about a leak to the media. The Justice Department in February decided against bringing charges against him.

His comments come after the Justice Department on Thursday moved to drop its case against Flynn for charges of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia shortly before President Trump took office

“Conservative media has been obsessed with finding some indication of a set-up since this all started several years ago,” McCabe, a staunch Trump critic, told CNN “New Day” anchor John Berman. “The simple fact is, it absolutely did not happen.”

McCabe on FBI notes outlining plan to get Flynn to lie: “Conservative media has been obsessed with finding some indication of a setup since this all started … The simple fact is, it absolutely did not happen. Those notes … are indicative of that.” pic.twitter.com/1cXYgGsa0M

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 8, 2020

McCabe pointed to newly disclosed unsealed notes of FBI’s former assistant director of counterintelligence Bill Priestap around the bureau’s strategy before the Flynn interview.

“What’s our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” reads the Priestap note. “If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ & have them decide. Or, if he initially lies, then we present him [redacted] & he admits it, document for DOJ, & let them decide how to address it.”

McCabe told CNN the Priestap notes represented “one person’s internal deliberations across the range of options” as the FBI team discussed strategy about how to approach an interview with Flynn.

McCabe also reacted to President Trump’s frequent criticism against the FBI’s handling of Flynn’s case. 

“I would point out that Gen. Flynn was not targeted,” McCabe said.

“He was properly investigated in a well-predicated case, a case whose validity has been proven not just by those of us who were involved but later by the Mueller investigation and after that by the inspector general’s investigation,” he added, referring to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.

“He was investigated because we had reason to believe he presented a threat to national security,” McCabe also said. “I still think that those things are worthy of investigation. Apparently the president does not.”

McCabe was hired by CNN as a contributor last year, sparking backlash among conservatives.