Toobin Defends McCabe's 'Impeccable Record as One of the Most Honored and Successful FBI Agents of His Generation'

Shortly after prosecutors recommended the indictment of former FBI Deputy Director-turned-CNN Contributor Andrew McCabe for lying to investigators, his colleague, CNN Chief Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin, rushed to his defense during an appearance on CNN Newsroom With Brooke Baldwin Thursday. According to Toobin, "This is an extremely unusual prosecution. Andy McCabe had the right to speak to reporters...as Deputy Director of the FBI, he had the right to speak to reporters. He also has an impeccable record as one of the most honored and successful FBI agents of his generation." While Toobin acknowledged that "you never have the right to lie to an Inspector General, if you lie it's a crime," he did his best to downplay the seriousness of the offense committed by McCabe: "lying to an Inspector General is very rarely prosecuted."