Trump fires FBI official for unauthorised disclosure to media

The Trump administration has fired the number two official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accusing him of making an unauthorised disclosure to the media.

Andrew McCabe, the FBI Deputy Director, who was set to retire on Sunday, in a lengthy statement fired back alleging that his termination was an effort on the part of the administration to undermine the investigation in the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election by counsel Robert Mueller.

The announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions late last night comes within days of President Donald Trump firing his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Sessions said McCabe has been fired based on the recommendation of an internal FBI office that handles disciplinary matters.

The FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and Office of Inspector General (OIG) had found McCabe made an unauthorised disclosure to the news media and "lacked candour - including under oath - on multiple occasions," the attorney general said.

"The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability. I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe effective immediately," Sessions said
A day earlier, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that McCabe's troubling behaviour" was "well-documented," insisting he was "by most accounts a bad actor."