Legal defense fund site set up for former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe

The spokesperson says 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."

McCabe was fired earlier this month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions just prior to his planned retirement. In a statement on the decision, Sessions cited a report from the Office of the Inspector General, stating that the office "concluded that Mr. McCabe had made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor -- including under oath -- on multiple occasions."

President Donald Trump cheered the firing of McCabe, who had previously worked under former FBI Director James Comey, on Twitter, writing "Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI - a great day for Democracy. Sanctimonious James Comey was his boss and made McCabe look like a choirboy. He knew all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!"

A source briefed on the Justice Department Inspector General's report said that it had concluded that McCabe misled investigators about his role in directing other officials at the FBI to speak to The Wall Street Journal about his involvement in a public corruption investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

In a statement after his firing, McCabe charged that the decision was "part of this administration's ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the special counsel investigation, which continues to this day."

He added, "this attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally."

McCabe had been expected to retire on his 50th birthday, when he would have become eligible to receive early retirement benefits. His termination could place a portion of his anticipated pension, earned after more than two decades of service, in significant jeopardy.

A democratic source told CNN that top Democrats in the House and Senate were in discussions about bringing him on board. There were serious discussions about where to land him, the source said. But a separate source close to McCabe said that he has no current plans to take a job on Capitol Hill.

According to the GoFundMe page, the funds raised will be used for his legal defense, saying McCabe "will continue to fight for the pension and benefits he deserves, rather than accept any crowdfunding for that purpose. Following the conclusion of any related legal proceedings, any funds that remain in the Legal Defense Fund will be donated to charitable organizations of the McCabes' choosing."