Mornings with Meep: I'm Happy I Didn't Wait
by meep
That is, I’m glad I didn’t stay up on Friday til the news of McCabe’s firing. I was well asleep by then.
Here’s this week’s video:
And here is are some thoughts I didn’t get into in the video.
But first:
ALL THE LINKS
The past week’s posts:
- Memory Monday: Pandemic Model, Quarantine Politics, and Second Week of March 1918
- Taxing Tuesday: California Chicanery, Geeking Out, And What About Payroll Taxes?
- The Kentucky Pension Mess: Ain’t Getting Cleaned Up Now
- Two Awful Tastes That Go Great Together: Pension Obligation Bonds and 80% Funding Myth
- Around the Pension-o-Sphere: FBI, California, Kentucky, and New Jersey
Again, if you have something you want to bring to my attention, think I should correct, etc., please email me: marypat.campbell@gmail.com
ABOUT MCCABE’S FIRING
I don’t want to get into the substance as to why McCabe was fired; I just want to talk about the supposed upshot of being fired before he could “retire”.
wait a sec… so he's vested, and the issue is that he can't take retirement benefits at age 49?! WHAT.
— Mary Pat Campbell (@meepbobeep) March 17, 2018
But first:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MCCABE!
He just turned 50 years old today.
When I tweeted yesterday, he was 49.
Isn’t it a shame he can’t take government-funded retirement income right now?
Don’t everybody start crying for him yet. I didn’t realize McCabe was so young (ffs, he started in the FBI the year I graduated college), until the tweets made me actually look it up.
Andrew George McCabe4 (born March 18, 1968)5 is an American attorney who served as the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from February 2016 to January 2018.
March 18, 1968… means he turned 50 today.
World's tiniest violin applies here, I think.
— Jane the Actuary (@JanetheActuary) March 17, 2018
A few items discussing the pension issue:
- Justice Department Fires Embattled FBI Deputy Director Just Short Of Retirement
- No, Andrew McCabe Isn’t “Losing His Pension” — there is some important info on the second page of this one, regarding exactly what he is losing, even if somebody else in federal government hires him
- Democrats Flood Andrew McCabe With Federal Job Offers To Save His Pension
I think with respect to money, McCabe should be just fine… the legal aspects? No clue.
More tweets about his “stolen” retirement:
I can't believe they're going to take away Andrew McCabe's pension! Also, what's a pension?
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) March 17, 2018
When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history. You may scapegoat Andy McCabe, but you will not destroy America…America will triumph over you. https://t.co/uKppoDbduj
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) March 17, 2018
McCabe had media pushback ready. Did pre-firing interview with ABC; talked about everything except details of why he was fired. https://t.co/LwHpDbqnX8 pic.twitter.com/PyYNx5IROK
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 17, 2018
McCabe’s PENNNSIIIONNN pic.twitter.com/X4YBlegDTU
— Bill Corbett (@BillCorbett) March 17, 2018
One suggestion from a McCabe supporter: if a friendly member of Congress hired him for a week he could possibly qualify for pension benefits by extending his service the extra days
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) March 17, 2018
Before you get TOO sympathetic to McCabe, remember the FBI’s stance on lies: they can lie to YOU, but if you lie to THEM, that’s a felony.
— FridayLoomingChaosHat (@Popehat) March 17, 2018
Wonderful idea. Every member of Congress should hire fired bureaucrats who lied to an inspector general in the course of a government investigation. Pensions before Honesty. Great slogan. https://t.co/0oMwBmZqek
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) March 17, 2018
Pretty sure McCabe isn’t required to serve the days he’s short at the FBI in order to get his full pension. He can do so anywhere in the Federal gov’t. Including on Capitol Hill. (I think.)
Someone liketedlieu</a> should hire him for a few days. <a href="https://t.co/bQxxbR1Spm">https://t.co/bQxxbR1Spm</a></p>— Philippe Reines (PhilippeReines) March 17, 2018
Wonderful idea. Every member of Congress should hire fired bureaucrats who lied to an inspector general in the course of a government investigation. Pensions before Honesty. Great slogan. https://t.co/0oMwBmZqek
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) March 17, 2018
NEW — Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) has extended an offer of employment to Andrew McCabe, "so that he can reach the needed length of service after President Trump fired him just days before he was set to retire."
— Sam Stein (@samstein) March 17, 2018
NO MORE ON MCCABE
I have no particular insight re: McCabe’s firing, and my particular blogging interest is public pensions… but I don’t think there’s a story in a federal employee who’s actually vested in the pension not being able to take pension income at age 50.
The story I’m interested in? All the federal employees taking pension income in their 50s…. somebody want to point me to some resources? (Again, email me: marypat.campbell@gmail.com)
With respect to McCabe: it seems to me that there will be some Inspector General reports coming out, and the pension aspect will likely be the smallest aspect of what will be hashed out… and that’s outside my particular blogging topics. So that will almost definitely be it for me on McCabe.
Okay, and here is a song for St. Patrick’s Day and for McCabe:
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