by Chuck Ross
The Justice Department has denied Andrew McCabe’s appeal to avoid charges for lying to investigators about approving leaks to the media, The Daily Caller News Foundation has confirmed.
Fox News reported earlier Thursday that Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen informed the former FBI deputy director by email that he will reject an appeal that McCabe and his legal team made last month.
“The Department rejected your appeal of the United States Attorney’s Office’s decision in this matter. Any further inquiries should be directed to the United States Attorney’s Office,” reads the email, according to Fox News.
A source close to McCabe confirmed the accuracy of the Fox News report to the DCNF. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.
The New York Times reported on Aug. 26 that McCabe and his lawyers met with Rosen and U.S. Attorney Jesse Liu as part of a last-ditch effort to argue against charges. The Justice Department was investigating McCabe over false statements he allegedly made to the FBI and Justice Department inspector general regarding disclosures of information to the press in October 2016 regarding an investigation of the Clinton Foundation.
Fox News also reports that McCabe sought the meeting after Liu recommended charges in the case.
McCabe, who was hired by CNN on Aug. 23, has vehemently denied allegations that he lied to investigators. He sued the Justice Department and FBI on Aug. 8, alleging that he was fired from the FBI due to political pressure from President Donald Trump.
The FBI fired McCabe on March 16, 2018, two days before he was set to retire. The FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility recommended the firing.
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Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “DOJ Building” by Baseball Watcher. CC BY-SA 3.0.