CNN hires former acting FBI chief Andrew McCabe, drawing fire from Trump’s son, campaign and others

By John Wagner and Paul Farhi August 23 at 11:52 AM

CNN announced Friday that it had hired former FBI acting director Andrew McCabe as a contributor, drawing a swift backlash from conservatives, including President Trump’s eldest son and a representative of Trump’s reelection campaign.

McCabe, who authorized an investigation into Trump for alleged ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice, was fired in March 2018 after the Justice Department inspector general found he made an unauthorized disclosure to the media and lied to investigators about it.

Earlier this month, McCabe filed a lawsuit against the FBI and the Justice Department, alleging that he was illegally demoted and fired as part of a plot by Trump to remove those who were not politically loyal to him.

Allies of Trump seized on McCabe’s hiring Friday to take aim at CNN, a news organization that the president has repeatedly denigrated as “fake news.”

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