Andrew McCabe, the former FBI official who was fired under Trump just hours before his retirement, won back his pension in a settlement with the DOJ

• The Justice Department settled a lawsuit brought by former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.
• McCabe sued over his 2018 firing, alleging it was done for political reason and fueled by Trump.
• McCabe won back his pension and benefits and the firing will be removed from his record.

Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI who was fired in 2018 one day before he was set to retire, won back his pension in a settlement with the Department of Justice on Thursday.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe after an investigation into his handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. Justice Department officials concluded McCabe was not forthcoming during the investigation and recommended he be fired.

But McCabe argued the firing was politically motivated, citing the multiple public attacks then-President Donald Trump made against him. He sued the agency in 2019.

“It was Trump’s unconstitutional plan and scheme to discredit and remove DOJ and FBI employees who were deemed to be his partisan opponents because they were not politically loyal to him,” McCabe’s lawsuit said. “Plaintiff’s termination was a critical element of Trump’s plan and scheme.”

Under the settlement, which was first reported by The New York Times, McCabe will be able to officially retire, with the firing removed from FBI records, and receive his pension and other benefits. He will also receive back pay for the pension payments he missed, which The Times reported total abut $200,000.

The Justice Department did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.

“Politics should never play a role in the fair administration of justice and Civil Service personnel decisions,” McCabe said in a statement, according to The Times. “I hope that this result encourages the men and women of the FBI to continue to protect the American people by standing up for the truth and doing their jobs without fear of political retaliation.”

After his dismissal from the FBI, McCabe continued to speak out against Trump. In August, he said Trump’s praise for Ashli Babbitt, the Capitol rioter who was killed by police during the attack, amounted to “threatening members of law enforcement.”