Prosecutors question Comey for probe into McCabe

Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia recently interviewed former FBI Director James Comey as part of a criminal investigation into his former deputy, Andrew McCabe.

The Washington Post reported the interview on Thursday night.

McCabe was accused by the Justice Department’s inspector general in April of having lied to federal investigators and Comey on four occasions about improperly authorizing the disclosure of sensitive information to the media.

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The inspector general, Michael Horowitz, referred the matter to the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office to determine whether McCabe should face criminal charges. 

Lying to federal investigators can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.

In a statement to The Washington Post, McCabe’s attorney Michael Bromwich said he was confident that the U.S. attorney’s office would ultimately conclude that McCabe had done nothing wrong.

“A little more than a month ago, we confirmed that we had been advised that a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office had been made regarding Mr. McCabe,” he said. “We said at that time that we were confident that, unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the Administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office would conclude that it should decline to prosecute. Our view has not changed.”

Bromwich also called “leaks concerning specific investigative steps” taken by the U.S. attorney’s office “extremely disturbing.”

McCabe has insisted that Comey knew that he authorized the disclosures to the media. Comey has disputed that claim, and has said he could potentially act as a witness against McCabe if the investigation resulted in criminal charges and a trial.