Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL): "Positive Step" McCabe Stepping Down
Congressman Darren Soto, who represents Florida’s 9th district, applauded news Monday that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is stepping down from his post, calling him a “distraction” to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
“We just need to make sure we keep this investigation with integrity and with accuracy, because we want to have the right results,” Soto told Cheddar in an interview. “I think that it’s a positive step that he’s no longer going to be involved and no longer will be an excuse.”
The news follows an Axios report last week that FBI Director Christopher Wray was pressured by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Trump to fire his second in command. Trump and other Republicans claimed that McCabe, whose wife ran for office in Virginia as a Democrat and received donations from Hillary Clinton, had a conflict of interests in the Russian investigation.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that the White House had no involvement in McCabe’s decision. But the New York Times reported that Wray had suggested the move after months of pressure from the administration.
McCabe’s resignation is effective immediately, but he will remain on the payroll until March, when he was already expected to retire with full benefits.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-darren-soto-shares-his-expectations-for-president-trumps-first-state-of-the-union-address).
Palestinians in Gaza lined up outside bakeries on Thursday after spending the night in pitch darkness surrounded by the ruins of pulverized neighborhoods, as Israel launched new airstrikes and said it was preparing for a possible ground invasion.
Republicans on Wednesday nominated Rep. Steve Scalise to be the next House speaker and will now try to unite around the conservative in a floor vote to elect him after ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the post.
The number of U.S. citizens confirmed to have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war has risen to at least 22 with at least 17 more Americans unaccounted for, the State Department said Wednesday. That's an increase in the death toll from 14 the day before, in a war that has already claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides.
The Israel-Hamas war is now in its fifth day with Israeli officials saying at least 1200 people have been killed in the country, including 150 soldiers. President Joe Biden has confirmed at least 14 Americans are among the dead.
Negotiations started on the Biden administration's latest attempt at student loan forgiveness after the Supreme Court blocked Biden's attempt to use the 2003 Heroes Act to advance student loan forgiveness.
