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deputy director of the FBI
"I can tell you none of this decision was made by the White House," she told reporters. "The president wasn't part of decision making process."
The FBI will make a statement on the matter later Monday, she said.
Sanders also said the White House had "gone above and beyond many times" in its effort to be fully cooperative in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The only pressure it has applied has been aimed at completing the probe so that "Russia fever" ends and the administration can move on to working to solve the nation's problems, she said.
McCabe, 49, resigned earlier Monday, according to multiple news reports. The move follows comments by President Donald Trump, expressed largely on Twitter, and other Republicans, which put him at the centre of ongoing tensions between the White House and the FBI.
Recent Trump tweets raised questions about his political affiliation and his role in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of email while she served as secretary of state. The FBI's handling of that investigation was a major issue in the presidential race between Trump and Clinton.
Trump has complained that McCabe's wife, a Democrat, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations in her failed bid to win a seat in the Virginia state Senate in 2015.
He also reportedly asked McCabe whom he voted for in the 2016 presidential election when the two men met for the first time in the Oval Office. McCabe responded that he didn't vote, the reports said.
Trump told reporters last week he didn't remember asking McCabe that question and said he didn't think it was a "big deal" if he had. Critics
McCabe briefly became acting director of the law enforcement agency after Trump fired its director James Comey in May. He could be called as a witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia and whether Trump committed obstruction of justice by firing Comey.
McCabe stepped down with immediate effect on Monday, with broadcaster NBC reporting that he is to remain on the FBI payroll with full benefits until mid-March. Earlier reports said he planned to retire but stay on the job through March.
The FBI will make a statement on the matter later Monday, she said.
Sanders also said the White House had "gone above and beyond many times" in its effort to be fully cooperative in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The only pressure it has applied has been aimed at completing the probe so that "Russia fever" ends and the administration can move on to working to solve the nation's problems, she said.
McCabe, 49, resigned earlier Monday, according to multiple news reports. The move follows comments by President Donald Trump, expressed largely on Twitter, and other Republicans, which put him at the centre of ongoing tensions between the White House and the FBI.
Recent Trump tweets raised questions about his political affiliation and his role in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of email while she served as secretary of state. The FBI's handling of that investigation was a major issue in the presidential race between Trump and Clinton.
Trump has complained that McCabe's wife, a Democrat, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations in her failed bid to win a seat in the Virginia state Senate in 2015.
He also reportedly asked McCabe whom he voted for in the 2016 presidential election when the two men met for the first time in the Oval Office. McCabe responded that he didn't vote, the reports said.
Trump told reporters last week he didn't remember asking McCabe that question and said he didn't think it was a "big deal" if he had. Critics
McCabe briefly became acting director of the law enforcement agency after Trump fired its director James Comey in May. He could be called as a witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump's presidential campaign colluded with Russia and whether Trump committed obstruction of justice by firing Comey.
McCabe stepped down with immediate effect on Monday, with broadcaster NBC reporting that he is to remain on the FBI payroll with full benefits until mid-March. Earlier reports said he planned to retire but stay on the job through March.
