DOJ interviews Comey in McCabe investigation, indicates criminal charges may be filed: Report
A new report claims that investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., recently interviewed former FBI Director James Comey in relation to the Justice Department's investigation of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
DOJ Inspector General Michael Horrowitz issued a criminal referral for McCabe in April — which led to his eventual firing — on the grounds that he intentionally misled DOJ officials on four separate occasions.
A source familiar with the investigation told the Washington Post the Comey interview indicates officials are seriously weighing criminal charges for McCabe, which are not guaranteed in a referral.
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"A little more than a month ago, we confirmed that we had been advised that a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office had been made regarding Mr. McCabe," Michael Bromwich, McCabe's attorney, told the Post when asked about the new revelations. "We said at that time that we were confident that, unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the Administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office would conclude that it should decline to prosecute. Our view has not changed."
Bromwich further criticized the DOJ employee who leaked the interview and pointed to Wednesday's reports on a memo, written by McCabe, which purported to show an intentional effort by President Trump to coerce Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein into framing Comey's 2017 firing in a beneficial manner.
"We think it is no coincidence that these leaks follow within 24 hours of media stories — based on other leaks whose source is unknown to us — about memos written by Mr. McCabe that suggest potential criminal conduct by the President,” Bromwich further stated. “We will be demanding a leaks investigation.”
On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that special counsel Robert Mueller had obtained McCabe's memo and was considering its implications as he seeks to determine whether obstruction of justice has occurred in the wake of multiple investigations into alleged Russian election tampering.
In the document, McCabe allegedly wrote that Rosenstein told him about a conversation in which Trump asked that the deputy attorney general's letter on Comey's firing specifically cite Russia as a primary cause.
The president denied on Twitter Thursday morning that Russia led to Comey's dismissal.
"Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia!" he wrote. "The Corrupt Mainstream Media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true!"
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