Trump weighs in on "60 Minutes" interview, slams "treasonous" McCabe
By Kathryn Watson
/ CBS News
President Trump claims former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and current Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein were planning an "illegal act," after McCabe alleged in a "60 Minutes" interview that Rosenstein mentioned the 25th Amendment process for removing a sitting president. McCabe also said that Rosenstein was serious when he suggested wearing a wire during conversations with the president.
The president took to Twitter Monday morning from his Mar-a-Lago resort, slamming McCabe's interview as filled with "so many lies." McCabe was fired by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year over a report that he wasn't forthcoming in his own testimony, although McCabe claims he was fired because he opened a case against the president.
"Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe," the president tweetet. "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."
"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," the president said in a follow-up tweet. This was the illegal and treasonous "insurance policy" in full action!"
It's unclear what the president's ire might mean for Rosenstein. The deputy attorney general was expected to leave the Justice Department after the confirmation of Attorney General William Barr. Now that Barr is confirmed, Rosenstein's exit ramp is open.
McCabe also told "60 Minutes" that a "crime may have been committed" when Mr. Trump fired Comey and, in McCabe's view, attempted to undermine the Russia investigation. McCabe claimed that when Mr. Trump directed Rosenstein to craft a document outlining the reasons for firing Comey, the president asked Rosenstein to include a mention of the Russia investigation. Rosenstein's memo did not. Mr. Trump went on NBC shortly after firing Comey and said he thought of "this Russia thing" when he decided to fire his FBI director.
The president also blasted McCabe last week when "60 Minutes" released portions of the interview.
"Disgraced FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe pretends to be a 'poor little Angel' when in fact he was a big part of the Crooked Hillary Scandal & the Russia Hoax – a puppet for Leakin' James Comey. I.G. report on McCabe was devastating," the president tweeted on Valentine's Day. "Part of "insurance policy" in case I won."
First published on February 18, 2019
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Kathryn Watson
Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital.
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