--- title: Trump Tweets He May ‘Get Involved’ to Force FBI on McCabe description: Trump said he might intervene to force the FBI to turn over to a conservative watchdog group texts sent by Andrew McCabe. canonical: https://time.com/5364806/trump-get-involve-fbi-andrew-mccabe/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-11T20:19:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:07:39.700Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Tweets He May 'Get Involved' to Force FBI on Andrew McCabe Texts og:description: “FBI said they won’t give up even one (I may have to get involved, DO NOT DESTROY). What are they hiding?” og:url: https://time.com/5364806/trump-get-involve-fbi-andrew-mccabe/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b3577353e1a0def/69893789656a3fcca0bd5312/trump-tweets-mccabe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: trump-tweets-mccabe-fbi og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Tweets He May 'Get Involved' to Force FBI on Andrew McCabe Texts twitter:description: “FBI said they won’t give up even one (I may have to get involved, DO NOT DESTROY). What are they hiding?” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b3577353e1a0def/69893789656a3fcca0bd5312/trump-tweets-mccabe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Jabs FBI, Saying He May 'Get Involved' Over Andrew McCabe Texts > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b390dca8-c94e-4c03-9b99-1a19a66647d1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b390dca8-c94e-4c03-9b99-1a19a66647d1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=b390dca8-c94e-4c03-9b99-1a19a66647d1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b390dca8-c94e-4c03-9b99-1a19a66647d1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Justin Sink / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Justin Sink / Bloomberg Contributor Aug 11, 2018 8:19 PM UTC  Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Andrew McCabe (2nd L) is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police before a meeting with members of the Oversight and Government Reform and Judiciary committees in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC on December 21, 2017. Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Andrew McCabe (2nd L) is escorted by U.S. Capitol Police before a meeting with members of the Oversight and Government Reform and Judiciary committees in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC on December 21, 2017. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images by [Justin Sink / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Justin Sink / Bloomberg Contributor Aug 11, 2018 8:19 PM UTC (Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump said he might intervene to force the Federal Bureau of Investigation to turn over to a conservative watchdog group text messages sent by former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. “Why isn’t the FBI giving Andrew McCabe text messages to Judicial Watch or appropriate governmental authorities,” Trump tweeted from his New Jersey golf club, where he was spending a rainy morning. “FBI said they won’t give up even one (I may have to get involved, DO NOT DESTROY). What are they hiding?” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1028269087133257728) Washington-based Judicial Watch has filed a lawsuit seeking text messages and emails of McCabe relating to his wife, a pediatric emergency physician who ran unsuccessfully for the Virginia state Senate in 2015. Conservative critics, including the president, have argued that because Jill McCabe accepted a campaign contribution from then-Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s political action committee, McCabe should have recused himself from the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. McAuliffe is a longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton. “McCabe wife took big campaign dollars from Hillary people,” Trump tweeted on Saturday. The president went on to ask if the FBI would “ever recover it’s once stellar reputation.” ### ‘Clowns and Losers’ “So many of the great men and women of the FBI have been hurt by these clowns and losers!” Trump said of McCabe, former FBI Director James Comey, and other former bureau officials. The actions of the former deputy director have become a frequent hobbyhorse for Trump, who’s said he believes that the Justice Department’s decision not to prosecute Clinton — while continuing to investigate potential meddling between his campaign and Russia — is evidence of institutional bias. Saturday’s tweets came after Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton appeared on a Friday night episode of Fox News’s “Hannity” to promote the case. “We’re fighting the FBI over text messages for the corrupt FBI official Andrew McCabe,” Fitton said. “The FBI doesn’t want to turn over one text message to us.” The Justice Department initially denied the Freedom of Information Act request by arguing that the requested search parameters for McCabe’s communications, which included terms like “email,” “Democrat” and “campaign” — were too broad, according to a filing by Judicial Watch. The government also said text messages related to McCabe’s wife would be shielded by personal privacy protections. Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe earlier this year, days before his scheduled retirement, following months of public criticism of the FBI official by the president. Sessions said he took the action on the recommendation of FBI investigators who argued McCabe had been dishonest with Comey about his role in an October 2016 Wall Street Journal article on an FBI investigation into the Clinton Foundation. McCabe has said that he didn’t mislead anyone about his actions and that he had the authority to share information with the media. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5364806/trump-get-involve-fbi-andrew-mccabe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5364806/trump-get-involve-fbi-andrew-mccabe/"},"headline":"President Trump Jabs FBI, Saying He May 'Get Involved' Over Andrew McCabe Texts","datePublished":"2018-08-11T20:19:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:07:39.700Z","description":"“FBI said they won’t give up even one (I may have to get involved, DO NOT DESTROY). What are they hiding?”","url":"https://time.com/5364806/trump-get-involve-fbi-andrew-mccabe/","keywords":["White House","Bloomberg","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b3577353e1a0def/69893789656a3fcca0bd5312/trump-tweets-mccabe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Sink / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5b3577353e1a0def/69893789656a3fcca0bd5312/trump-tweets-mccabe.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"trump-tweets-mccabe-fbi","caption":"McCabe walking while being escorted by Capitol Police","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5364806/trump-get-involve-fbi-andrew-mccabe/","name":"President Trump Jabs FBI, Saying He May 'Get Involved' Over Andrew McCabe Texts"}}]}] ```