In his statement Monday, McCabe reiterated that the funds will help him take a stand against the circumstances of his firing, which he has characterized as politically-fueled and unfair: “It is not lost on me that each contribution reflects not just someone's well wishes, but also their acknowledgement that something in this situation is not fair or just,” he said in the statement. The firing came less than two days before he was to retire. His supporters said the fund was needed for McCabe to respond to congressional inquiries and the inspector general report. Donations to the legal defense fund that remain after the legal proceedings will go toward charities of the family's choosing, the page said, and although it's difficult to predict what will come of McCabe's pension and healthcare benefits from more than 20 years in the FBI due to the complex federal system at play, "no funds raised for the Andrew McCabe Legal Defense Fund will be used for anything beyond his defense of the allegations against him,” the page maintained.
– A legal defense fund created for fired FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe will no longer accept donations after raising more than a half-million dollars in four days, the AP reports. The fund is to defray costs for McCabe, who was fired after FBI disciplinary officials and the Justice Department concluded he hadn't been candid during an inspector general investigation. The firing came less than two days before he was to retire. The fund will stop accepting donations at 7 p.m. Monday after more than tripling the original goal. McCabe said Monday he's grateful and that the contributions reflect donors' "acknowledgement that something in this situation is not fair or just." He has denied wrongdoing. His supporters said the fund was needed for McCabe to respond to congressional inquiries and the inspector general report. The GoFundMe page was updated Monday with a statement of gratitude from McCabe, who called the fund's success an "acknowledgement that something in this situation is not fair or just." The page also claims the money will soon go into a formal legal trust. “The outpouring of support on GoFundMe has been simply overwhelming," McCabe wrote. Despite its success, some have called the ethics of such a campaign into question. As ABC News reports, Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept pointed out McCabe's apparent personal wealth while calling the campaign "obscene," and a pundit on Fox noted that thousands donated despite the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility investigation on McCabe being unreleased.