Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe on Thursday launched an online fund-raiser to help cover the legal costs that might come as he navigates investigations and congressional inquiries and explores whether he will sue over his abrupt ouster from the bureau.

McCabe’s team unveiled the legal defense fund, hosted on the GoFundMe website, about 2 p.m. By 3:30 p.m., it had raised more than $18,700 toward a $150,000 goal.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe from the bureau about two weeks ago, ending his more than 20-year career just 26 hours before McCabe could retire and begin collecting his full retirement benefits. The move is likely to cut into his pension, though McCabe’s team said money raised for the legal defense fund will not be used ‘‘for anything beyond his defense of the allegations against him.’’

‘‘He will continue to fight for the pension and benefits he deserves, rather than accept any crowdfunding for that purpose,’’ his team wrote on his GoFundMe page.

Sessions said he fired McCabe over findings from the Justice Department inspector general that McCabe had authorized an inappropriate disclosure to the media, then allegedly misled investigators about it. .

But McCabe, who disputes the inspector general’s conclusions, shot back that his firing was politically motivated, meant to undermine the FBI.