Revealing the network’s desperate desire to find a nefarious motivation behind the firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, in reports for Wednesday’s World News Tonight and Thursday’s Good Morning America, ABC Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas suggested that the termination may have resulted from McCabe having opened and closed an investigation into Attorney General Jeff Sessions a year ago.
After breaking the news Wednesday evening, Thomas appeared on Thursday’s GMA to hype: “The feud between the FBI’s former number two in command and the Attorney General took on a different twist after we learned that Andrew McCabe had tried to investigate Jeff Sessions.” The headline on screen throughout the segment blared: “Attorney General Under New Scrutiny; Fired FBI Official Had Investigated Jeff Sessions.”
The reporter touted “members of Congress demanding answers about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Friday night firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe” following “our report that McCabe launched a criminal investigation about a year ago, looking into whether Sessions intentionally misled Congress about his interactions with Russians when he was a top adviser to the Trump campaign.”
Noting that Sessions testified to Congress in January of 2017 that he “did not have communications with the Russians,” Thomas pointed out: “It turns out Sessions met at least twice with the Russian ambassador, meetings he says were routine and that had nothing to do with the campaign.”
That served as the basis for McCabe’s investigation of Sessions, according to Thomas, which was launched at the behest of Democrats: “Democrats were screaming for answers and McCabe launched his investigation. It was ultimately closed with no action.” The reporter then added: “And a source close to Sessions tells us that he did not know about the probe when he fired McCabe last week.”
So Sessions fired McCabe over an open-and-shut case from a year ago that he didn’t know about? This was ABC’s big scoop?
Thomas wrapped up the anti-climatic report by briefly mentioning the real reason for McCabe’s dismissal: “Sessions said he fired McCabe because the Justice Department Inspector General concluded McCabe leaked information to the media and lacked candor when speaking to investigators...” Though he made sure to add: “...something McCabe has flatly denied.”
Both of ABC’s network competitors mentioned the news Thursday morning. On CBS This Morning, co-host John Dickerson told viewers:
CBS News confirms Attorney General Jeff Sessions was investigated for possible perjury last year. The probe was led by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Sessions fired McCabe last Friday. A source familiar with the investigation says there were questions about whether Sessions lacked candor when testifying to Congress about his contacts with Russian officials. Sessions’s attorney tells CBS News that the Attorney General is not under investigation.
On NBC’s Today show, Justice Correspondent Pete Williams explained that FBI Director Christopher Wray “indicated support for the firing of former FBI Director Andrew McCabe” during an inclusive interview the reporter conducted with the Bureau chief.
Williams continued:
A source close to Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that when he approved the firing, he didn’t know that McCabe once authorized an investigation into whether Sessions misled Congress about his meetings with the Russian ambassador. A lawyer for Sessions says he’s no longer under investigation.
The liberal media just can’t seem to accept that McCabe was fired for committing a fireable offence.
Here is a transcript of Thomas’s March 22 report on GMA:
7:15 AM ET
DAVID MUIR: Also new developments, Robin, in the Russia investigation this morning. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he’s now facing scrutiny after that story first reported by ABC News that before Sessions fired Deputy Attorney General Andrew McCabe [sic], that McCabe had been investigating Sessions. Our Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas has the very latest on a story he broke with the team here. Good morning Pierre.
PIERRE THOMAS: David, good morning. The feud between the FBI’s former number two in command and the Attorney General took on a different twist after we learned that Andrew McCabe had tried to investigate Jeff Sessions.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Attorney General Under New Scrutiny; Fired FBI Official Had Investigated Jeff Sessions]
This morning, members of Congress demanding answers about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Friday night firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. This after our report that McCabe launched a criminal investigation about a year ago, looking into whether Sessions intentionally misled Congress about his interactions with Russians when he was a top adviser to the Trump campaign.
The probe triggered in part by this critical moment during Sessions’ confirmation hearing, when he was asked what he would do if there was any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government.
JEFF SESSIONS [JANUARY 2017]: I’m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.
THOMAS: It turns out Sessions met at least twice with the Russian ambassador, meetings he says were routine and that had nothing to do with the campaign.
But Democrats were screaming for answers and McCabe launched his investigation. It was ultimately closed with no action. And a source close to Sessions tells us that he did not know about the probe when he fired McCabe last week.
Sessions said he fired McCabe because the Justice Department Inspector General concluded McCabe leaked information to the media and lacked candor when speaking to investigators, something McCabe has flatly denied, David.
(...)
