Interestingly Reuters is continuing the McCabe narrative with an article quoting an unnamed FBI official who urges Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to fire Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Given the rather expansive wealth of McCabe the angle of preserving his pension seems more than a little odd.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who stepped down in January after criticism from President Donald Trump, met on Thursday with a U.S. Justice Department official in an effort to preserve his pension, according to a source familiar with the matter. McCabe planned to retire on Sunday with full benefits, but some or all of his pension could be at risk after the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Office of Professional Responsibility recommended firing him for misleading Justice Department investigators about his supervision of probes into Hillary Clinton, Trump’s presidential opponent, said the source, who requested anonymity.

The person spoke anonymously because no decisions have been made, and the matter is still not public. McCabe did not return a call seeking comment. Sunday is McCabe’s birthday, which triggers his eligibility for full pension benefits, the source said. […] On two occasions in 2016, McCabe authorized an FBI public affairs officer [Michael P. Kortan] to talk to a Wall Street Journal reporter [Devlin Barrett] who was writing about McCabe’s role in probes related to Clinton, the source said. (read more)

The ‘source’ for the Reuters article could likely be former FBI Director James Comey.

The recommendation to fire McCabe was based on a referral to the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) by the Justice Department’s inspector general Michael Horowitz. The IG felt McCabe misled OIG investigators about his communications with Devlin Barrett; a former Wall Street Journal reporter now working for the Washington Post.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the decision to fire FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe will ultimately be left to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but said McCabe has had “some very troubling behavior” and is a “bad actor.” “We do think that it is well-documented that he has had some very troubling behavior and by most accounts [is] a bad actor and should have some cause for concern,” Sanders told reporters during Thursday’s White House press briefing. Sanders said the Justice Department and Sessions would determine whether McCabe is terminated. (link)