Memos are becoming a common theme in the Trump administration. The Associated Press reported on Saturday that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was fired on Friday by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, kept memos of his meetings with President Donald Trump that could be useful to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe and corroborate former FBI director James Comey’s account.
The AP reports it is not “immediately clear” if the memos are in Mueller’s hands yet – or if they have been requested by him.
The AP reports:
“McCabe’s memos include details of interactions with the president, among other topics, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to discuss the notes publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"Though the precise contents are unknown, the memos possibly could help substantiate McCabe’s assertion that he was unfairly maligned by a White House he says had declared 'war' on the FBI and Mueller’s investigation. They almost certainly contain, as Comey’s memos did, previously undisclosed details about encounters between the Trump administration and FBI.”
The New York Times reports that the memos were left at the FBI, which would mean Mueller’s team would be able to access them and potentially corroborate Comey’s story. McCabe, according to the Times, has had at least three meetings with Trump. As the report explains:
“In one, he asked Mr. McCabe how he had voted in the presidential election. In each, he asked about Mr. McCabe’s wife, Jill, who ran a failed campaign as a Democrat for the Virginia State Senate. Mr. McCabe has identified as a lifelong Republican but did not vote in the 2016 presidential race.”
A source told CNN that Mueller's team has already interviewed McCabe and asked him about Comey's firing. Trump fired Comey in May 2017, claiming he was ousted over his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. However, news reports have countered the White House's story, backing up the suggestion that Trump was motivated by anger at the FBI's pursuit of an investigation into his Russia ties.
Comey later testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June 2017. During his testimony, the former FBI director alleged Trump had tried to compel him to take a loyalty oath, and also directed him stop investigating the Russia scandal.
The war between Trump and Comey has hit the battlegrounds of Twitter. In response to McCabe’s firing on Saturday, Trump tweeted: “How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!”
Comey then tweeted: “Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.”
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