Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe defended himself Friday in an opinion piece in The Washington Post, saying he never dreamed "my FBI career would end this way."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe last Friday evening following an internal investigation that alleged he displayed a "lack of candor" to congressional investigators and that he had leaked information to the media.
McCabe said as Friday, March 16, wore on, he had "a lot of time to reflect on how it would feel to be separated from the organization I loved," but explained he still wasn't prepared when a friend called to say CNN was reporting Sessions had fired him.
"Despite all the preparation for the worst-case scenario, I still felt disoriented and sick to my stomach," McCabe wrote. "Not in my worst nightmares did I ever dream my FBI career would end this way."
McCabe defended his actions, saying he "did not knowingly mislead or lie to investigators." He also refuted claims he leaked information to the press, maintaining it was within the scope of his position to talk to the media.
"When asked about contacts with a reporter that were fully within my power to authorize as deputy director, and amid the chaos that surrounded me, I answered questions as completely and accurately as I could.
"And when I realized that some of my answers were not fully accurate or may have been misunderstood, I took the initiative to correct them. At worst, I was not clear in my responses, and because of what was going on around me may well have been confused and distracted — and for that I take full responsibility," he wrote.
McCabe decried the jubilation President Donald Trump displayed after his firing, writing he was "sad, but not surprised, to see that such unhinged public attacks on me would continue into my life after my service to the FBI."
Yet, even after he described the "very public and extended humiliation of my family and me that the administration, and the president personally, have engaged in over the past year," he still promoted the FBI as a career.
"There is nothing like having the opportunity to be a part of the greatest law-enforcement organization in the world, working every day for goals that you respect and cherish. It is the best job you will ever have.
"Even if a president decides to attack you and your family. Even if you get fired on a Friday night, one day from your retirement," McCabe wrote.
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