Goodlatte statement on FBI Deputy Director McCabe

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, released the statement below regarding reports indicating that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Andrew McCabe will step down from his position.  Additionally, Chairman Goodlatte today sent a letter urging FBI Director Christopher Wray to preserve Mr. McCabe’s emails, and all other communications, before his official departure from the agency.

“Today’s news that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is stepping down from the Bureau is overdue. Recent revelations call into question Mr. McCabe’s leadership in the top operational post in the FBI.  However, Mr. McCabe’s departure certainly does not mean that we are done rooting out the problems at the FBI. I continue to be extremely troubled by the decisions made by the FBI during the 2016 presidential election and the role senior FBI officials played in these questionable decisions and irregularities.

 “The only way to ensure the FBI remains the premier law enforcement agency in the world is to ensure that the leadership at the Bureau holds the trust of the American people. This change in leadership at the FBI is a good first step in repairing the damage to their reputation.”

Background: In October 2017, Chairman Goodlatte and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) announced a joint investigation into decisions made by the Department of Justice in 2016.  In December 2017, Chairmen Goodlatte and Gowdy called on the Department of Justice to allow FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, among others, to be interviewed by congressional investigators. That interview took place shortly following the request.