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Former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about the Russia investigation. He is expected to defend the decision to open the investigation into Russia, according to a copy of his opening statement.
“We didn’t open a file because we liked one candidate or because we didn’t like the other. We did not open a file because we intended to stage a coup or to overthrow the government. We didn’t open a case because we thought it might be interesting or because we wanted to drag the FBI into a heated political race. We have opened a case to find out how the Russians could undermine our elections. We opened a case because it was our obligation – our duty – to do yes. We did our job, ”the statement read.
How to watch McCabe’s testimony before Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee
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What: Former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee. The hearing is titled “Hurricane Crossfire Investigation Watch: Day 4”.
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Dated: Tuesday November 10, 2020
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Time: 11:00 am ET
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Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 106 – Washington DC
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Online feed: Live in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
Senator Lindsey Graham, who is presiding over the hearing, said the focus will be on those people in the FBI and the Justice Department who misled the surveillance court in 2016 and 2017 about warrants against the former Trump national security aide. Carter Page, Catherine Herridge, CBS News Senior Investigation Correspondent reported earlier this month. The FBI obtained a warrant in 2016 to eavesdrop on Page on suspicion that he was secretly a Russian agent. McCabe has previously defended the FBI’s handling of the early stages of the Russia investigation, including the warrant.
The Justice Department renewed Page’s tenure three times, including during the first few months of the Trump administration. The DOJ concluded in January that it should have ended his surveillance earlier because he lacked “insufficient preaching” to continue listening.
Graham said the committee will also verify whether McCabe knew the source of the “Folder” Steele was discredited, but still used Democrat-funded opposition research to secure the original term and three renewals, Herridge reported.
McCabe denied ever telling Congress that the warrant would not have been requested without the information in the file. He called the claim a “fundamental distortion” of what he had said privately to the committee. Graham said, based on what is public and what he knows in private, he “doesn’t see how” federal prosecutor John Durham, who is leading the DOJ’s investigation, failed to indict.
McCabe authorized FBI investigation into President Trump’s ties to Russia after President sacked former FBI director James comey, making him a recurring target of Mr. Trump and his allies. He himself was fired in March 2018 and has claimed in a lawsuit that his ouster was in “retaliation” for the opening of the investigation.
In his opening speech, McCabe is expected to warn lawmakers that the “calm of the 2020 election” does not mean that Russian interference is no longer a threat to American democracy.
“The Russians succeeded beyond their wildest imagination in achieving their goals in 2016,” he says. “Their successes serve as an encouragement to other hostile nations determined to undermine our security, safety and stability. Simply put, the Russians and others will be back.”
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