Topline
The federal government has agreed to restore former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe’s pension, his attorney said Thursday, ending a legal battle that began after the Trump administration fired McCabe just one day before his retirement benefits were set to kick in.
Key Facts
The Department of Justice agreed to move McCabe’s date of departure from the FBI from March 16, 2018 — when he was fired — to three days later, or one day after McCabe’s 50th birthday, according to a settlement agreement posted by his attorneys.
This change will make McCabe eligible for federal retirement benefits immediately.
The government will also give McCabe a lump sum for all retirement payments owed to him since his March 2018 departure from the FBI, the settlement said.
Key Background
A longtime FBI official who became the bureau’s acting director in 2017, McCabe had planned to retire in March 2018, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions dismissed him amid claims he hadn’t shown candor when discussing communications with reporters about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. The firing jeopardized McCabe’s ability to collect federal retirement benefits starting at age 50, instead of waiting until he turns 57. McCabe sued the government about two years ago, claiming his firing was politically motivated and driven by a perceived disloyalty to Trump.
Crucial Quote
“Politics should never play a role in the fair administration of justice and civil service personnel decisions,” McCabe said in a statement Thursday.
Tangent
Trump has frequently lashed out against FBI officials. McCabe became acting FBI head after Trump fired Director James Comey in 2017, and Trump has repeatedly insisted — without evidence — the Obama administration led a politically motivated effort to spy on his 2016 campaign.
