Aug 1, 2019

DOJ declines to prosecute Comey for leaked memos, despite referral

Comey finishes testifying to the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees in December 2018. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Former FBI Director James Comey will not be charged by the DOJ for leaking memos he wrote about his White House contacts, including President Trump, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: Comey's memos — parts of which included redacted classified information —were of interest to former special counsel Robert Muller's investigation into potential obstruction of justice by the president. DOJ prosecutors declined to prosecute Comey after a referral from inspector general Michael Horowitz "in part because they didn't believe there was evidence to show Comey knew and intended to violate laws on handling classified information," CNN reports. Sources told both the Post and Fox News that the decision not to prosecute was "not a close call."

Go deeper: What the Comey memos tell us about Trump

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Alayna Treene

DOJ inspector general releases report on James Comey investigation

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Justice Department's inspector general has released a blistering report finding that former FBI Director James Comey broke department policy and his employment agreement in his handling of sensitive information in the Russia investigation.

Why it matters: The report, which calls Comey a "dangerous example" for the FBI, is jet fuel for President Trump and allies determined to aggressively investigate the intelligence community's conduct. After evaluating the findings, however, the Justice Department ultimately decided not to prosecute.

Go deeperAug 29, 2019

Zachary Basu

Andrew McCabe sues Justice Department over "politically motivated" firing

Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is suing the Justice Department and the FBI for violating his First Amendment rights by firing him for his "refusal to pledge partisan allegiance" to President Trump.

Context: McCabe, who opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump was acting as an agent of Russia after the firing of FBI Director James Comey, was fired by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in March 2018 after the Justice Department's inspector general found that he had "made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor − including under oath − on multiple occasions." The termination came hours before McCabe's formal retirement was set to kick in, threatening his pension.

Go deeperAug 8, 2019

Rashaan Ayesh

Former FBI official Andrew McCabe joins CNN as a contributor

Photo: Michael Kovac/Getty Images

Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe will join CNN as a contributor starting Friday — a move that quickly sparked conservative criticism, CNBC reports.

Background: President Trump publicly sparred with McCabe over his relationship with former FBI director James Comey. McCabe was fired in March 2018 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions for allegedly sharing details about the Russia investigation with the media and subsequently lying to investigators about it, says the Washington Post.

Go deeperAug 23, 2019