A grand jury has for months been looking into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s conduct and statements, NPR and others reported Thursday evening.
Prosecutors impaneled the grand jury following a recommendation from within the Justice Department. The grand jury has called multiple witnesses as part of its efforts to determine whether to recommend charges.
McCabe took control of the FBI after President Donald Trump dismissed former director James Comey in May 2017, and McCabe was fired by the DOJ in March for "lack of candor" following several lies and misconduct. The Washington Post previously reported that the Office of Inspector General had found McCabe lied repeatedly, "three of them under oath, and he approved a media disclosure to advance his personal interests over those of the Justice Department."
President Trump has repeatedly attacked McCabe and how the former FBI official has, in the president's view, escaped scrutiny from the DOJ and elsewhere.
McCabe's lawyer Michael Bromwich questioned the timing of the report, alleging an effort to distract from the president’s troubles. He said in a statement: "Today’s leak about a procedural step taken more than a month ago — occurring in the midst of a disastrous week for the President — is a sad and poorly veiled attempt to try to distract the American public."
McCabe's legal team says "any discrepancies in his account were honest mistakes — not intentional false statements," according to NPR.
Charges have yet to be filed against McCabe.