News broke late Monday that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was taking “terminal leave” and stepping down ahead of his planned resignation in March. There are lots of questions about what happened and why he was told to leave early. 

There are two competing explanations. One is that FBI Director Christopher Wray went to Capitol Hill on Sunday to read the memo written by the House Intelligence Committee detailing political interference by the Justice Department to hurt Donald Trump. Wray may have seen something in that memo about McCabe and told him to go.

The other explanation is that Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice inspector general, has been conducting an independent investigation of the FBI’s conduct and has already informed officials that there are big problems. 

For example, it was reported last year that McCabe was the subject of three separate probes. In addition, there are reports that he may be the source of some leaks to the press that falsely implicated the Trump White House.

Andrew McCabe joins a long and growing list of top Justice and FBI officials — Yates, Comey, McCord, Baker, Rybicki, Ohr, Strzok, Page — who resigned or were fired or demoted since Trump was inaugurated. We may soon learn why. 

The House Intelligence Committee voted to release the memo outlining FBI abuses in the Trump/Russia investigation. President Trump now has four days to review the memo to determine what information can be released without compromising intelligence sources and methods. 

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a man not known for making over-the-top pronouncements, weighed in at a press conference. Ryan told reporters that he supported releasing the memo, saying, “Let it all out, get it all out there.” Referring to the FBI, Ryan added, “Cleanse the organization.”

We will keep you posted.

Pro-Abortion Progressives

During the debate on President Trump’s tax reform plan, a number of progressives in and out of government claimed that if Trump’s tax cuts passed, people would die. That’s not hyperbole on my part. Liberals said that tax cuts literally kill.

How can that be? Well, here’s the Left’s logic: Because you are getting more of your money back, there will be less money for big government programs. 

On Monday the Senate debated legislation that really was about life and death — a ban on late-term abortions. According to a recent Marist poll, 63% of Americans support legislation restricting late-term abortions or those performed after 20 weeks.

Unfortunately, 90% of Senate Democrats voted to allow unborn babies in the fifth month of pregnancy to be destroyed. Needing a super-majority of 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, the bill failed on a 51 to 46 vote. Unlike the tax cut bill, that vote really does mean that innocent people will die.

President Trump released a statement following the vote expressing his disappointment. He said in part:

“It is disappointing that despite support from a bipartisan majority of U.S. Senators, this bill was blocked from further consideration… The vote by the Senate rejects scientific fact and puts the United States out of the mainstream in the family of nations, in which only 7 out of 198 nations, including China and North Korea, allow elective abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy… I urge the Senate to reconsider its decision and pass legislation that will celebrate, cherish, and protect life.”

All Republicans but two — Collins (R-ME) and Murkowski (R-AK) — supported the ban on late-term abortions. All Democrats but three — Casey (D-PA), Donnelly (D-IN) and Manchin (D-WV) — opposed it. 

It is amazing what the Left stands for — unanimous opposition to tax cuts, an obsession with open borders and illegal immigrants, hostility to religious liberty and an extremist view on abortion. 

By the way, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, who would become speaker if her party prevails in November, was asked what keeps her awake at night. 

I could think of a lot of ways to answer that question — Islamic jihadists, North Korean nukes, even Russian meddling in our elections. But the answer she came up with was … tax cuts!

All the political commentators say that the president and congressional Republicans are in trouble this November. But voters are going to have to decide if today’s political Left, the party of Pelosi and Schumer, is a reasonable alternative.

It’s clear what the Left will do if it gains power — raise your taxes, leave our borders defenseless and push abortion-on-demand.

We can’t let that happen.