Rumors are spreading that “Trump’s thorn in the side” is about to be fired.

According to NPR, Mr. McCabe has been under internal investigation, related to his decisions while serving as Deputy Director of the FBI. Specifically, in 2016, Mr. McCabe allowed FBI officials to provide information to the press about an investigation targeting the Clinton Foundation conducted by the Justice Department as well as the FBI. Mr. McCabe himself also has a relationship with Devlin Barrett, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who wrote about this investigation.

The Justice Department’s inspector general concluded that Mr. McCabe was dishonest and uncooperative in an internal review, a person familiar with the matter said. The report led the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility to recommend the firing of the outgoing deputy director, just days before he was scheduled to retire.

Barring any irregularities, McCabe will officially retire on March 18. Although the Attorney General has not yet made a final decision, many believe that McCabe could be fired before March 16, a decision that could affect his pension. McCabe's pension is typically calculated based on his previous monthly salary and nearly 21 years of service at the FBI.

The New York Times added that Mr. McCabe had served as acting FBI director after Mr. James Comey was fired in May 2017. However, Mr. McCabe suddenly resigned as FBI Deputy Director in late January 2018 after the new FBI director, Christopher Wray, received a summary report about him from the Justice Department Inspector General.

McCabe has been a frequent target of attacks by President Trump and his Republican supporters since the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump himself has repeatedly publicly accused McCabe of working against him. The reason is that McCabe was involved in the investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia from the beginning. He could also be a witness in the investigation into whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice.