The “fire McCabe” parts of Don Jr.’s tweet raised eyebrows because they contradict the official story about the Deputy Director’s departure from the FBI
Is Don Jr. really saying that McCabe was fired and didn't resign? Or is he just misstating facts? This seems potentially significant. https://t.co/xd1K7KnMWn
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 1, 2018
The official story is that McCabe was planning to retire once he was eligible for his pension in March and decided to go on official leave until then in a “mutual” decision with FBI’s top brass.
Why does this matter? One of the elements necessary for an obstruction of justice charge is “corrupt intent.” Whether Trump firing FBI director Comey constitutes obstruction of justice depends upon establishing his intent. If Trump “fired” McCabe (or pressured him to resign), Mueller could use that as one more data point in a constellation that points toward obstruction of justice. While we don’t know if Mueller even needs more evidence to establish Trump’s intent, Don Jr.’s tweet certainly caught the attention of Twitter…