Trump: ‘Disgraced’ McCabe, Rosenstein look like they were planning ‘very illegal act’

by Justin Wise - 02/18/19 8:33 AM ET

President Trump on Monday accused former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe of saying “so many lies” in a recent interview on “60 Minutes.”

McCabe, in a wide-ranging interview, said that while he was in the Department of Justice there were conversations among officials about the possibility of removing Trump via the 25th Amendment. He also said that he believes he was dismissed due to the probes he opened into the president.

{mosads}”Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying, and now his story gets even more deranged,” Trump tweeted. “He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught.”

“There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for them with the Military, Vets, Economy and so much more,” Trump continued. “This was the illegal and treasonous ‘insurance policy’ in full action!”

Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying, and now his story gets even more deranged. He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2019

….There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for them with the Military, Vets, Economy and so much more. This was the illegal and treasonous “insurance policy” in full action!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 18, 2019

McCabe told CBS in a segment of an interview released last week that top Justice Department officials discussed forming an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump out of office following former FBI Director James Comey’s firing in May 2017.

He also said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had offered to wear a wire around the president.

McCabe later walked back those comments. A spokesperson for him said that McCabe did not “participate in any extended discussions about the use of the 25th Amendment, nor is he aware of any such discussions.”

The Justice Department also issued a statement reiterating Rosenstein’s denial of his offer to wear a wire, which Rosenstein called “inaccurate and factually incorrect.”

In an extended interview with CBS that aired on Sunday, McCabe said he thinks he “was fired because I opened a case against the president of the United States.”

McCabe was referencing the obstruction of justice investigation the FBI launched after Comey’s dismissal and the probe centering on if the Trump campaign colluded with Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The White House told CBS News that McCabe opened “a completely baseless investigation into the president.”

McCabe was dismissed in March 2018 after an internal watchdog report found he misled investigators who were looking into FBI leaks about its probe into the Clinton Foundation during the 2016 presidential race.

Rosenstein and the Department of Justice have often been targeted by Trump over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

The president has regularly referred to the special counsel probe as a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”

McCabe’s interview comes as the former FBI official released his book last week, a controversial tale of his time at the agency and overseeing investigations into Trump.