McCabe's legal defense fund hits $500,000

Washington DC [United States] April 1 (ANI): Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Andrew McCabe's fundraising page for legal defense funds, surpassing its target, has managed to raise 500,000 dollars within its first 48 hours.

The page was set up on Thursday with an initial goal of 150,000 dollars. The GoFundMe page had exceeded its updated fundraising goal of 250,000 dollars by Saturday morning, reported CNN.

The GoFundMe page has been set up "in response to a number of congressional inquiries that he will be required to respond to, as well as the broader Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigation that is ongoing, and any potential lawsuits he might consider", said McCabe's spokesperson.

The page says the fund is intended for use in dealing with a Department of Justice inspector general investigation, congressional inquires, and potential lawsuits.

McCabe was fired earlier this month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions just prior to his planned retirement, citing the former FBI official's role in the investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a primate email server while she was the secretary of State.

McCabe, who was appointed by former FBI Director James Comey in January 2016, announced his intent earlier this year to go on "terminal leave" until he could retire and be eligible for full pension in mid-March. By retiring on March 18, he would have been able to get full retirement benefits.

The GoFundMe description says McCabe's FBI career was "long, distinguished, and unblemished".

"His reward for that has been a termination that was completely unjustified, amidst repeated ad hominem attacks by the President of the United States," it read. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI