Former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe was informed (with his lawyers cc'd) at least nine minutes before the media late last night that he'd been fired by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The big picture: The firing came "a little more than 24 hours before McCabe was set to retire — a move that McCabe alleged was an attempt to slander him and undermine" the Russia probe, per the WashPost lead story:

"Sessions announced the decision in a statement just before 10 p.m."

the decision in a statement just before 10 p.m." Per N.Y. Times: "McCabe, a 21-year F.B.I. veteran, was eligible for a government pension if he retired on Sunday. The firing jeopardizes that benefit, though it was not immediately clear how much he might lose."

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