Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe Friday night, just two days before he was set to retire and receive his government pension.

The Department of Justice’s inspector general recommended firing McCabe earlier this week over allegations that he authorized the disclosure of sensitive information to a reporter. The OIG is set to release a report that also accuses McCabe of lacking candor about such disclosures during the DOJ’s yearlong review of the Hillary Clinton investigation.

The DOJ released a statement late on Friday announcing that Sessions was firing McCabe following a review of the OIG’s report. (RELATED: Report: FBI Recommends Firing Andrew McCabe)

“After an extensive and fair investigation and according to Department of Justice procedure, the Department’s Office of Inspector General provided its report on allegations of misconduct by Andrew McCabe to the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility,” the DOJ said in its statement. “The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability.”

During an hour-long interview with CNN, McCabe denied the charges levied against him by the IG.

“I absolutely never misled the inspector general in any way,” McCabe said, attributing his firing to “a series of attacks designed to undermine my credibility and my reputation.”

The decision to fire McCabe was made just two days shy of his retirement.

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