A damaging report, part of the impetus behind Andrew McCabe’s dismissal, found that the former deputy director inappropriately granted the media access to sensitive information. | Cheriss May/Getty Images McCabe pushes back on Comey over watchdog report that faulted him

An attorney for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Wednesday that neither the Justice Department inspector general nor former FBI director James Comey “has it right” when it comes to the agency’s critical report on his disclosures to news outlets in 2016.

Attorney Michael Bromwich pushed back on Comey for citing the DOJ watchdog’s report to deliver remarks critical of McCabe, his former No. 2 at the FBI who was fired by Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month.


McCabe’s attorney argued that both Comey and the report — which suggested the deputy director misled his boss about authorizing FBI agents to disclose information to the Wall Street Journal — mischaracterized the extent to which his client relayed his interactions with the press to Comey.

In a statement, Bromwich says “the report fails to adequately address the evidence (including sworn testimony) and documents that prove that Mr. McCabe advised Director Comey repeatedly that he was working with the Wall Street Journal on the stories in question prior to publication.”

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He added: “Neither Mr. Comey nor the OIG is infallible, and in this case neither of them has it right.”

The damaging report, part of the impetus behind McCabe’s dismissal, found that the former deputy director inappropriately granted the media access to sensitive information regarding the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. The report faults McCabe for the disclosures and suggests he misled investigators about it on several occasions.

The report also outlines two diverging recollections of the events from Comey and McCabe.

Earlier Wednesday Comey said on “The View” that while he still believed McCabe “is a good person,” he agreed with the watchdog’s findings.

“The inspector general found that he lied, and there are severe consequences in the Justice Department for lying as there should be throughout the government,” Comey said.

The former FBI director, in the middle of an expansive media tour to promote his tell-all memoir, “A Higher Loyalty,” argued McCabe’s situation highlighted the degree to which the bureau was devoted to holding those in power accountable.

“The McCabe case illustrates what an organization that's committed to the truth looks like,” he said. “I ordered that investigation. We investigate and hold people accountable.”