Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s No. 2 official whom President Donald Trump publicly criticized for alleged political bias, has left the bureau several weeks ahead of his retirement in March, an FBI official said on Monday.

McCabe, a 22-year FBI veteran and its deputy director for the past two years, was planning to retire in March when he became eligible for full retirement benefits.  But the official said McCabe decided to take early leave, starting Monday, and won’t be returning to the bureau.  

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity did not provide further details.

McCabe had become something of a lightning rod for Trump and Republican criticism of the Russia investigation, in part because his wife, Jill McCabe, received several hundred thousand dollars in donations for her failed bid for a state Senate seat from a political action committee controlled by a friend of former Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton.  

McCabe briefly served as acting head of the FBI last year after Trump abruptly fired its then director, James Comey, reportedly over his handling of the Russia investigation.

Christopher Wray, a former assistant attorney general, was sworn in as the new FBI director in August.

Last week, Axios, a news website, reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had pressured Wray to fire McCabe but Wray threatened to resign if McCabe was dismissed.

Trump later denied Wray had threatened to resign, saying “He’s going to do a good job.”
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