Former FBI Director Andrew McCabe Says DOJ Discussed Removing Donald Trump Under 25th Amendment

Andrew McCabe, the former acting director of the FBI, told CBS that there were talks to remove Donald Trump under the 25th amendment after the president fired James Comey. While speaking to 60 Minutes about his upcoming book The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, McCabe confirmed that the highest levels of law enforcement in the United States were discussing a way to allow Vice President Mike Pence to step into Trump’s role as leader of the country.

While speaking with 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley, McCabe made several shocking revelations regarding the period around when Comey was fired, and many feared that Mueller’s investigation would be put in jeopardy. Pelley shared details of his interview with McCabe on CBS This Morning on Wednesday. Pelley said that the most revealing part of the interview was what went on behind the scenes in May of last year.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Pelley said. “These were the eight days from Comey’s firing to the point that Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel. And the highest levels of American law enforcement were trying to figure out what do with the president.”

During this period, in an interview with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, McCabe says that the deputy AG offered to wear a wire when he was in meetings with the president, though some have suggested that this was a sarcastic offer. McCabe maintains that it was genuine.

In the interview, McCabe also revealed he was concerned about assuring the Russia investigation would continue even if he was gone.

“I was very concerned that I was able to put the Russia case on absolutely solid ground, in an indelible fashion,” McCabe said. “That were I removed quickly, or reassigned or fired, that the case could not be closed or vanish in the night without a trace.”

McCabe says that he wanted to make sure that if whoever replaced him tried to close the investigation, it wouldn’t be possible without creating a record, which is why he chose to open an investigation into the president and his ties to Russia.

The White House denounced the investigation, calling it “baseless,” but McCabe says that he was too troubled by the idea that Russia might have had some part in electing someone to office to ignore the situation.

The entire interview will air on 60 Minutes this Sunday, February 17 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.