The official legal defense fund established to help fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe raised nearly $400,000 in just one day.
A GoFundMe page was set up by friends on Thursday to raise $250,000 for McCabe’s legal defense.
More than $386,000 was donated in just 17 hours. As of Friday morning, almost 9,000 people had contributed.
McCabe is facing congressional inquiries and probes into his conduct by the Justice Department’s inspector general.
He might also be considering “potential lawsuits,” the GoFundMe page reads. Any leftover money will be donated to charity.
“Andrew McCabe’s FBI career was long, distinguished, and unblemished,” the GoFundMe page reads. “His reward for that has been a termination that was completely unjustified, amidst repeated ad hominem attacks by the President of the United States.”
McCabe was abruptly fired by Attorney General Jeff Sessions this month, just days before his scheduled retirement, when he would be eligible to collect his pension.
Sessions cited an inspector general’s report as justification for the ouster, concluding that McCabe had leaked information to the press and misled internal investigators.
McCabe fired back against the allegations, saying he was fired because he is a crucial witness in the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election meddling, possible conspiracy with President Trump’s campaign and Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey.