McCabe memo: Trump asked Rosenstein to mention Russia in Comey firing

Kevin Johnson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Andrew McCabe may have memos of Trump interactions Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe reportedly kept memos regarding President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON — Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe authored a memo claiming that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said President Trump asked him to refer to the Russia investigation as a reason for recommending the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

McCabe documented the conversation with Rosenstein, fearing that the deputy attorney general may have provided Trump cover for the abrupt dismissal of Comey. At that time, Comey was overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, said the source, who is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

The source said the memo has since been turned over to Justice Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed to manage the investigation last year following Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to recuse himself.

Rosenstein, who drafted his own memo for the White House recommending Comey's firing last year, did not refer to Comey's management of the Russia inquiry. Rather, he cited the director's disputed management of the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as the reason for urging the dismissal.

The Justice Department declined comment.

The existence of the memo was first reported Wednesday night by The New York Times.

In the days immediately following Comey's firing, Trump acknowledged in an interview with NBC News that Comey was dismissed because of his oversight of the Russia investigation.

Mueller's inquiry has since expanded to include whether Trump sought to obstruct the investigation by firing Comey.

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McCabe was fired earlier this year by Sessions for allegedly making false statements to Justice investigators about disclosures to the media.

He has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

In addition to the memo related to the alleged Rosenstein conversation, the source familiar with matter said McCabe also authored other memos memorializing his encounters with Trump. Those memos also have been turned over to Mueller's investigators.

McCabe appeared to follow the same protocol as Comey, who also authored memos about his controversial encounters with Trump, including an alleged conversation last year in which the president asked Comey to scuttle the FBI's then-investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn has since pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and is cooperating with Mueller's ongoing investigation.