Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly told President Donald Trump‘s newly-appointed FBI director to make a “fresh start” by replacing several high-ranking members of the agency.
Sessions told Christopher Wray, who was appointed to the position by Trump after he controversially fired James Comey last year, to purge his “core team,” Axios reports. That included deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, who filled in as interim head of the department following Comey’s ouster.
“The conversations about McCabe and the core team started shortly after Wray was confirmed,” a senior administration source told the news outlet. “They intensified from there.”
Sessions telling Wray to get rid of McCabe would appear to satisfy a desire of Trump’s.
McCabe has been the target of Trump’s ire several times—including one point in July when he openly asked on Twitter why Sessions, another frequent target of Trump’s, hasn’t fired him.
“Why didn’t A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got big dollars ($700,000) for his wife’s political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!” Trump tweeted.
Trump also blasted McCabe in late December when he questioned the deputy FBI director’s retirement plans.
“How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?” Trump said in a series of tweets. “FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!”
You can read all of Axios’ report here.