The Federal Bureau of Investigation's deputy director, whom US President Donald Trump repeatedly accused of political bias, has resigned.
Andrew McCabe was forced to step down ahead of his official retirement date in March, reports CBS News.
His exit from the top law enforcement agency comes a week after a report that Trump wanted him out.
It was also reported last week that the president had asked McCabe during an Oval Office meeting whom he voted for.
McCabe briefly became acting FBI director last May after Trump fired its previous chief, James Comey.
Comey had been overseeing the bureau's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump eventually nominated Christopher Wray as the new FBI director, and he was confirmed by the Senate in August.
Wray recently threatened to resign after being pressured by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to fire McCabe, Washington DC news outlet Axios reported last week.
McCabe, 49, who was already expected to step down in early 2018 upon becoming eligible for his pension, is now on leave ahead of his official retirement date, CBS News reports.
Andrew McCabe had become a lightning rod for Republican criticism of the FBI's handling of the investigation into possible Trump campaign ties to Russia. Now he's heading for - or, perhaps, being pushed toward - the exits a bit earlier than he planned.
Donald Trump had already been explicit in his criticism of the bureau's second-in-command during the tumultuous 2016 presidential election season. In a late December tweet, the president essentially counted the days until McCabe's planned springtime retirement.
FBI Director Christopher Wray reportedly threatened to resign rather than sack his deputy director. Something changed.