Fired top FBI official Andrew McCabe to headline Pa. Democrats’ fund-raiser

Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI, who was fired over allegations related to unauthorized leaks to the media and could face indictment, will headline a fund-raiser for Pennsylvania Democrats this month.

His keynote address for the Lancaster County Democrats is teased on the group’s website as “sure to be one of the most interesting events we’ve ever had!”

McCabe, who now works as a CNN contributor, was fired from the FBI in March 2018 after an internal investigation found he was not forthcoming in relation to leaks to the news media about the probe of Hillary Clinton’s personal email server. McCabe sued the Trump administration this month, arguing that the termination was political retaliation by the administration; he is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Last week, the New York Times reported that the Justice Department is close to a decision on whether to seek an indictment against McCabe.

McCabe is slated to appear Sept. 21 at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, where he will discuss the firing of FBI Director James Comey and its fallout, Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and his “one-on-one interactions with Donald Trump,” according to the event description.

Tickets to the event cost from $80 to $160 per person.

McCabe has not been shy about discussing his time in the FBI. His 2019 autobiography, The Threat, details the tense relationship between Trump and the FBI, and the moment he said members of the Justice Department discussed contacting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.

The Lancaster fundraiser immediately was blasted by conservatives, who have called McCabe biased against Trump during and following his FBI tenure. Matt Wolking, deputy communications director of Trump’s campaign, tweeted: “Interesting decision by the party, betting that he won’t be criminally charged sometime in the next 2.5 weeks.”

McCabe was one of three FBI officials whom Comey told about his conversations with Trump, which became part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether the president obstructed justice.

The fund-raiser was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

JoAnn Hentz, chair of the Lancaster County Democrats, responded to criticism over the keynote, saying McCabe had “devoted his career to the safety and security of our nation,” and would speak on issues of national security, specifically cyber security.

“This threat is not liberal or conservative, it’s real and dangerous, and the current administration not only refuses to accept and address the urgency of the situation, it instead attacks “the messenger,” she said.

While McCabe awaits a decision from the Justice Department, the Lancaster group assures attendees that the event will strike a hopeful tone:

“Lest anyone thinks this will be a gloomy take on things, Mr. McCabe says he is sure there are brighter days ahead and will talk about why he feels this way.”