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'''Peter Paul Strzok II'''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/01/08/fairfax-home-sales/61b4e144-8457-4a09-93f3-b9eb9aa1d8dc/ |title=Fairfax Home Sales |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 8, 2004 |quote=to Peter P. Strzok II and Melissa R. Hodgman}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|s|t|r|ʌ|k}}, ''pronounced'' ''struck'';<ref name=Browne>Browne, Pamela. [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/05/fired-fbi-official-at-center-flynn-clinton-dossier-controversies-revealed.html "Fired FBI official at center of Flynn, Clinton, dossier controversies revealed"], [[Fox News]] (December 2, 2017).</ref><ref name="CNN changed description"/> born March 7, 1970)<ref name="wsj_2017-12-03">{{cite news |last1=Wilber |first1=Del Quentin |last2=Sonne |first2=Paul |title=FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Had Key Role in Clinton Email Investigation |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-slams-fbi-after-flynn-plea-removal-of-agent-1512317744 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=December 3, 2017 |quote=Peter Strzok, 47 years old, was one of the highest-ranking agents at the bureau and was considered one of its most experienced counterintelligence experts.}}</ref> is a United States [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) agent. Strzok was the Chief of the [[FBI Counterintelligence Division#Organization|Counterespionage Section]] and led the FBI's investigation into [[Hillary Clinton email controversy|Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server]].<ref name="NYT-fbi-texts">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/us/politics/fbi-texts-trump.html</ref><ref name="CNN changed description"/><ref>Doering, Christopher. [https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2016/03/07/thieves-see-ag-trade-secrets-ripe-picking/80818464 "Thieves see ag trade secrets as ripe for picking"], ''[[Des Moines Register]]'', March 7, 2016.</ref> Strzok rose to become the Deputy Assistant Director of the [[FBI Counterintelligence Division|Counterintelligence Division]], the second-highest position in that division, and led the FBI's investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name="CNN changed description"/><ref name="auto">{{cite news |last=Hosenball |first=Alex |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-counsel-robert-mueller-assembled-team-16-seasoned/story?id=50186443 |title=Special counsel Robert Mueller has assembled a team of 16 seasoned prosecutors |publisher=ABC News |date=September 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/top-fbi-investigator-peter-strzok-steps-away-from-russia-probe-2017-8 |title=A top FBI investigator has unexpectedly stepped away from special counsel Mueller's Russia probe |work=[[Business Insider]] |date=August 16, 2017 |accessdate=December 5, 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto1">Price, Greg. [http://www.newsweek.com/mueller-trump-fire-fbi-bias-740094 "Will Trump Fire Mueller? Democrats Want to Protect Special Counsel Amid FBI Bias Cries"], ''[[Newsweek]]'' (December 6, 2017).</ref>
'''Peter Paul Strzok II'''<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/01/08/fairfax-home-sales/61b4e144-8457-4a09-93f3-b9eb9aa1d8dc/ |title=Fairfax Home Sales |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 8, 2004 |quote=to Peter P. Strzok II and Melissa R. Hodgman}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|s|t|r|ʌ|k}}, ''pronounced'' ''struck'';<ref name=Browne>Browne, Pamela. [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/05/fired-fbi-official-at-center-flynn-clinton-dossier-controversies-revealed.html "Fired FBI official at center of Flynn, Clinton, dossier controversies revealed"], [[Fox News]] (December 2, 2017).</ref><ref name="CNN changed description"/> born March 7, 1970)<ref name="wsj_2017-12-03">{{cite news |last1=Wilber |first1=Del Quentin |last2=Sonne |first2=Paul |title=FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Had Key Role in Clinton Email Investigation |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-slams-fbi-after-flynn-plea-removal-of-agent-1512317744 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=December 3, 2017 |quote=Peter Strzok, 47 years old, was one of the highest-ranking agents at the bureau and was considered one of its most experienced counterintelligence experts.}}</ref> is a United States [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) agent. Strzok was the Chief of the [[FBI Counterintelligence Division#Organization|Counterespionage Section]] and led the FBI's investigation into [[Hillary Clinton email controversy|Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server]].<ref name="NYT-fbi-texts">https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/us/politics/fbi-texts-trump.html</ref><ref name="CNN changed description"/><ref>Doering, Christopher. [https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2016/03/07/thieves-see-ag-trade-secrets-ripe-picking/80818464 "Thieves see ag trade secrets as ripe for picking"], ''[[Des Moines Register]]'', March 7, 2016.</ref> Strzok rose to become the Deputy Assistant Director of the [[FBI Counterintelligence Division|Counterintelligence Division]], the second-highest position in that division. He also led the FBI's investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name="CNN changed description"/><ref name="auto">{{cite news |last=Hosenball |first=Alex |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-counsel-robert-mueller-assembled-team-16-seasoned/story?id=50186443 |title=Special counsel Robert Mueller has assembled a team of 16 seasoned prosecutors |publisher=ABC News |date=September 29, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/top-fbi-investigator-peter-strzok-steps-away-from-russia-probe-2017-8 |title=A top FBI investigator has unexpectedly stepped away from special counsel Mueller's Russia probe |work=[[Business Insider]] |date=August 16, 2017 |accessdate=December 5, 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto1">Price, Greg. [http://www.newsweek.com/mueller-trump-fire-fbi-bias-740094 "Will Trump Fire Mueller? Democrats Want to Protect Special Counsel Amid FBI Bias Cries"], ''[[Newsweek]]'' (December 6, 2017).</ref>


In June and July 2017, Strzok worked on [[Robert Mueller]]'s [[2017 Special Counsel investigation|Special Counsel investigation]] into any links or coordination between [[Donald Trump]]'s presidential campaign and the Russian government.<ref name="BI120917" /><ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> Mueller removed Strzok from the Russia investigation when he became aware of criticisms of Trump contained in personal text messages exchanged between Strzok and a colleague.<ref name=CBSbias>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/text-message-raise-questions-of-political-bias-by-fbi-employees/vp-BBGGOV7 “Text Message Raise Questions Of Political Bias By FBI Employees"], [[WFOR-TV|CBS Miami]] via [[MSN]] (December 13, 2017): "Newly revealed text messages are raising questions about the political bias of two key FBI employees who worked on both the Mueller Russia probe and last year's Hillary Clinton email investigation."</ref><ref name=CNNbias>Vazquez, Maegan. [http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/17/politics/mnuchin-short-trump-mueller-sotu-cnntv/index.html "Mnuchin says he has no reason to think Trump will fire Mueller"], [[CNN]] (December 17, 2017): "[Mueller removed Strzok] after learning he had exchanged text messages with an FBI attorney that showed bias against then-candidate Trump."</ref> The revelation of the text messages led to accusations by Republican congressmen and conservative media that Strzok was involved in a conspiracy to undermine the Trump presidency; conservatives used the text messages as part of a campaign to discredit Mueller's investigation. The [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]], led by Republican [[Jeff Sessions]], has defended Mueller's response to the text messages.<ref name="NYT121317">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/us/politics/trump-mueller-russia-republican-campaign.html?mtrref=www.google.com |title=Justice Dept. Official Defends Mueller as Republicans Try to Discredit Him |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |date=December 13, 2017 |work=New York Times |accessdate=December 17, 2017|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url= |last2=Savage |first2=Charlie |quote=Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein adamantly defended the character and impartiality of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, as he came head-to-head on Wednesday with an increasingly aggressive campaign by Republicans to discredit the inquiry. The Republicans’ effort received a fresh jolt from the release one night earlier of text messages exchanged last year between an F.B.I. agent, Peter Strzok, and an F.B.I. lawyer, Lisa Page, describing the possibility of an election victory by President Trump as 'terrifying' and saying that Hillary Clinton 'just has to win.' Mr. Mueller removed Mr. Strzok from the Russia investigation as soon as he learned of the texts, a step that Mr. Rosenstein praised. Nonetheless, Republicans used the messages as fodder to attack the impartiality of Mr. Mueller during an appearance by Mr. Rosenstein before the House Judiciary Committee.}}</ref><ref name="BI120917">{{cite news |last1=Bertrand |first1=Natasha |title='He was thrown to the wolves': Former FBI agents defend ousted Mueller investigator as Trump attacks 'rigged' DOJ |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-strzok-mueller-trump-russia-investigation-2017-12 |accessdate=December 17, 2017 |work=Business Insider |date=December 9, 2017}}</ref> A February 2018 comprehensive review by ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' of Strzok's messages showed that "texts critical of Mr. Trump represent a fraction of the roughly 7,000 messages, which stretch across 384 pages and show no evidence of a conspiracy against Mr. Trump".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-the-fbi-life-of-peter-strzok-and-lisa-page-as-told-in-their-text-messages-1517589380 |title=Inside the FBI Life of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, as Told in Their Text Messages |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |date=February 2, 2018 |work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> After the release of the [[Inspector General Report on FBI and DOJ's Actions in the 2016 Election|DOJ-OIG report]], which revealed further anti-Trump texts from Strzok, he agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vazquez |first1=Meghan |title=Peter Strzok says he's willing to testify before House Judiciary Committee |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/17/politics/peter-strzok-house-judiciary-committee-testify/index.html |publisher=CNN}}</ref>
In June and July 2017, Strzok worked on [[Robert Mueller]]'s [[2017 Special Counsel investigation|Special Counsel investigation]] into any links or coordination between [[Donald Trump]]'s presidential campaign and the Russian government.<ref name="BI120917" /><ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/> Mueller removed Strzok from the Russia investigation when he became aware of criticisms of Trump contained in personal text messages exchanged between Strzok and a colleague.<ref name=CBSbias>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/text-message-raise-questions-of-political-bias-by-fbi-employees/vp-BBGGOV7 “Text Message Raise Questions Of Political Bias By FBI Employees"], [[WFOR-TV|CBS Miami]] via [[MSN]] (December 13, 2017): "Newly revealed text messages are raising questions about the political bias of two key FBI employees who worked on both the Mueller Russia probe and last year's Hillary Clinton email investigation."</ref><ref name=CNNbias>Vazquez, Maegan. [http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/17/politics/mnuchin-short-trump-mueller-sotu-cnntv/index.html "Mnuchin says he has no reason to think Trump will fire Mueller"], [[CNN]] (December 17, 2017): "[Mueller removed Strzok] after learning he had exchanged text messages with an FBI attorney that showed bias against then-candidate Trump."</ref> The revelation of the text messages led to accusations by Republican congressmen and conservative media that Strzok was involved in a conspiracy to undermine the Trump presidency; conservatives used the text messages as part of a campaign to discredit Mueller's investigation. The [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]], led by Republican [[Jeff Sessions]], has defended Mueller's response to the text messages.<ref name="NYT121317">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/us/politics/trump-mueller-russia-republican-campaign.html?mtrref=www.google.com |title=Justice Dept. Official Defends Mueller as Republicans Try to Discredit Him |last1=Fandos |first1=Nicholas |date=December 13, 2017 |work=New York Times |accessdate=December 17, 2017|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url= |last2=Savage |first2=Charlie |quote=Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein adamantly defended the character and impartiality of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, as he came head-to-head on Wednesday with an increasingly aggressive campaign by Republicans to discredit the inquiry. The Republicans’ effort received a fresh jolt from the release one night earlier of text messages exchanged last year between an F.B.I. agent, Peter Strzok, and an F.B.I. lawyer, Lisa Page, describing the possibility of an election victory by President Trump as 'terrifying' and saying that Hillary Clinton 'just has to win.' Mr. Mueller removed Mr. Strzok from the Russia investigation as soon as he learned of the texts, a step that Mr. Rosenstein praised. Nonetheless, Republicans used the messages as fodder to attack the impartiality of Mr. Mueller during an appearance by Mr. Rosenstein before the House Judiciary Committee.}}</ref><ref name="BI120917">{{cite news |last1=Bertrand |first1=Natasha |title='He was thrown to the wolves': Former FBI agents defend ousted Mueller investigator as Trump attacks 'rigged' DOJ |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-strzok-mueller-trump-russia-investigation-2017-12 |accessdate=December 17, 2017 |work=Business Insider |date=December 9, 2017}}</ref> A February 2018 comprehensive review by ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' of Strzok's messages showed that "texts critical of Mr. Trump represent a fraction of the roughly 7,000 messages, which stretch across 384 pages and show no evidence of a conspiracy against Mr. Trump".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-the-fbi-life-of-peter-strzok-and-lisa-page-as-told-in-their-text-messages-1517589380 |title=Inside the FBI Life of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, as Told in Their Text Messages |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |date=February 2, 2018 |work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=February 2, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> After the release of the [[Inspector General Report on FBI and DOJ's Actions in the 2016 Election|DOJ-OIG report]], which revealed further anti-Trump texts from Strzok, he agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vazquez |first1=Meghan |title=Peter Strzok says he's willing to testify before House Judiciary Committee |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/17/politics/peter-strzok-house-judiciary-committee-testify/index.html |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

Revision as of 23:40, 25 June 2018

Peter Strzok
Born (1970-03-07) March 7, 1970 (age 54)
EducationGeorgetown University (BS, MS)

Peter Paul Strzok II[1] (/strʌk/, pronounced struck;[2][3] born March 7, 1970)[4] is a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. Strzok was the Chief of the Counterespionage Section and led the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server.[5][3][6] Strzok rose to become the Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division, the second-highest position in that division. He also led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[3][7][8][9]

In June and July 2017, Strzok worked on Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation into any links or coordination between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.[10][7][9] Mueller removed Strzok from the Russia investigation when he became aware of criticisms of Trump contained in personal text messages exchanged between Strzok and a colleague.[11][12] The revelation of the text messages led to accusations by Republican congressmen and conservative media that Strzok was involved in a conspiracy to undermine the Trump presidency; conservatives used the text messages as part of a campaign to discredit Mueller's investigation. The Department of Justice, led by Republican Jeff Sessions, has defended Mueller's response to the text messages.[13][10] A February 2018 comprehensive review by The Wall Street Journal of Strzok's messages showed that "texts critical of Mr. Trump represent a fraction of the roughly 7,000 messages, which stretch across 384 pages and show no evidence of a conspiracy against Mr. Trump".[14] After the release of the DOJ-OIG report, which revealed further anti-Trump texts from Strzok, he agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.[15]

Early life and education

For high school, Strzok attended St. John's Prepatory School in Minnesota, graduating in 1987.[16] He earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1991 as well as a master's degree in 2013.[17] He is married to Melissa Hodgman, an associate director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.[18][19][20] His father was a longtime member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.[21] Like his father, Strzok served as an officer in the United States Army before joining the FBI in the 1990s as an intelligence research specialist.[22][23]

FBI

By July 2015, Strzok was serving as the section chief of the Counterespionage Section, a subordinate section of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division.[3] He led a team of a dozen investigators during the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server and assisted in the drafting of public statements for then-FBI Director James Comey.[24] He changed the description of Clinton's actions from "grossly negligent", which could be a criminal offense, to "extremely careless".[3] The draft was reviewed and corrected by several people and its creation was a team process. In his statement to Congress, Comey said that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring charges based on available evidence.[3] Later, when additional emails were discovered a few days before the election, Strzok supported reopening the Clinton investigation.[25] He then co-wrote the letter[26] that Comey used to inform Congress, which "reignited the email controversy in the final days" and "played a key role in a controversial FBI decision that upended Hillary Clinton's campaign."[25]

Due to his acknowledged expertise and reliability, Strzok rose to the position of Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division, and as the number two official within that division oversaw investigations involving Russia and China.[10][27][22] In that capacity, he led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections,[3][28] and examined both the Donald Trump–Russia dossier and the Russian role in the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak.[29][2][24] He also oversaw the bureau's interviews with then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn; Flynn later pled guilty to lying during those interviews.[30]

In July 2017, Strzok became the top FBI agent working for Robert Mueller's 2017 Special Counsel investigation looking into any links or coordination between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.[31][32] He served in that position until August 2017, at which time he began working in the Human Resources Branch.[33][34] According to The New York Times, Strzok was "considered one of the most experienced and trusted FBI counterintelligence investigators,"[23] as well as "one of the Bureau's top experts on Russia" according to CNN.[3] Strzok left the investigation in late July 2017 after the discovery of personal text messages sent to a colleague.[35] At the request of Republicans in Congress, the Justice Department (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) began an inquiry in January 2017 into how the FBI handled investigations related to the election, and the IG announced it would issue a report by March or April 2018.[23][36] The report was eventually released on June 14, 2018, after several delays.

On June 15, 2018, the day after this IG report was published, Strzok was escorted from FBI headquarters as part of the bureau's internal conduct investigations.[37] The move put Strzok on notice that the bureau intends to fire him, though he has appeal rights that could delay such action.[38]

Text messages

During the IG's investigation, thousands of text messages exchanged using FBI-issued cell phones between Strzok and Lisa Page, a trial attorney on Mueller's team, were examined.[39][40][39][40] The texts were sent between August 15, 2015 and December 1, 2016. At the request of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the DOJ turned over 375 of these text messages to the House Judiciary Committee.[39][40][41] Some of the texts disparaged then-presidential candidate Donald Trump,[39][40][42][43] Chelsea Clinton, Attorney General in the Obama administration Eric Holder, former Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley, and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Bernie Sanders.[44][45][46] Strzok called Trump an "idiot" in August 2015 and texted "God Hillary should win 100,000,000 - 0" after a Republican debate in March 2016.[39][40][47] In their messages, Strzok and Page also advocated for creating a Special Counsel to investigate the Hillary Clinton email controversy, and discussed suggesting former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald be considered for such a probe.[48] Devlin Barrett from The Washington Post alleged Strzok and Page had been using the backdrop of discussing the Clinton investigation as a cover for their personal communications during an affair.[49] Upon learning of the text messages, Mueller removed Strzok from the investigation.[23] Messages released in January 2018 showed that Strzok was hesitant to join the Mueller investigation, with Page encouraging him not to.[50]

Strzok's colleagues and a former Trump administration official said that Strzok had never shown any political bias.[4][42] An associate of his says the political parts of the text messages were especially related to Trump's criticism of the FBI's investigation of the Clinton emails.[4] According to FBI guidelines, agents are allowed to have and express political opinions as individuals. Former FBI and DOJ officials told The Hill that it was not uncommon for agents like Strzok to hold political opinions and still conduct an impartial investigation.[51] Several agents asserted that Mueller had removed Strzok to protect the integrity of the special counsel's Russia investigation.[52] Strzok was not punished following his reassignment.[53] Defenders of Strzok and Page in the FBI said no professional misconduct between them occurred.[42]

The decision by the DOJ to publicize the private messages in December 2017 was controversial. Statements by DOJ spokeswomen revealed that some reporters had copies of the texts even before the DOJ invited the press to review them, but the DOJ did not authorize the pre-release. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have asked for a review of the circumstances under which the texts were leaked to select press outlets.[54]

The Office of Inspector General's report on the FBI's handling of the Clinton email investigation published on June 14, 2018, revealed additional texts hostile to Donald Trump. In early August 2016, after Page asked Strzok, "[Trump's] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!", Strzok responded: "No. No he won't. We'll stop it." The report stated that Strzok and Page's actions "cast a cloud over the entire FBI investigation," but said that the OIG "did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that improper considerations, including political bias, directly affected the specific investigative actions we reviewed."[55]

Reactions

Strzok's personal messages to Lisa Page have been used by Republicans to attack the impartiality of Mueller's investigation into Donald Trump's alleged collusion with Russia during the election. Conservative media outlets and Republicans have used the text messages as part of an aggressive campaign to discredit the Mueller investigation and protect President Trump. Other Republicans have defended Mueller and his work, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who said that he would only fire Mueller if there was actual cause under DOJ regulations, and that no such cause existed. Rosenstein also praised Mueller for removing Strzok from the Russian investigation.[13]

Congressional scrutiny

In an August 15, 2016 text message, Strzok told Page: "I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy's (Andrew McCabe, Deputy Director of the FBI) office that there's no way Trump gets elected—but I'm afraid we can't take that risk. It's like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you're 40 ... " This message attracted scrutiny from Republicans, including Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, who stated: "Some of these texts appear to go beyond merely expressing a private political opinion, and appear to cross the line into taking some official action to create an 'insurance policy' against a Trump presidency." Sources close to Strzok and Page told The Wall Street Journal that Strzok was not contemplating using the FBI's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to harm Trump's candidacy, but rather emphasizing the need to aggressively pursue any such leads before the election "because some of Mr. Trump's associates could land administration jobs and it was important to know if they had colluded with Russia."[56][57]

On January 20, 2018, Senator Ron Johnson (R–WI) released a letter in which he stated that the FBI's technical system had failed to preserve five months' worth of texts between Strzok and Page. According to the letter, the texts in question were sent between mid-December 2016 and mid-May 2017.[58] A Justice Department official later said that the technical lapse had affected thousands of FBI-issued phones, which failed to store text messages for periods of up to a year.[59]

In late January 2018, a number of congressional Republicans, including Sen. Ron Johnson, asserted that they had evidence that pointed towards FBI agents working clandestinely to undermine the Trump presidency; they asserted that Strzok and Page were in a "secret society" against Trump.[60] Fox News amplified these claims.[61] Congressional Republicans refused to release the evidence behind the assertion, but ABC News obtained a copy of the message that Republicans were referring to and noted that the message which refers to a "secret society" may have been made in jest.[60] The day after his assertion that these messages demonstrated "corruption at the highest levels of the FBI" and after a copy of the messages were revealed by ABC News, Johnson walked back his comments and said that there was a "real possibility" that the messages were made in jest.[62]

In February 2018, Johnson speculated that a text message between FBI agent Peter Strzok and Lisa Page raised questions about “the type and extent of President Obama’s personal involvement” in the Clinton emails investigation.[63] Fox News reiterated, without scrutiny, Ron Johnson's speculative claim that text messages between senior FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page suggested that President Barack Obama was deeply involved in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.[61] Fox News spokeswoman Carly Shanahan did not answer an inquiry from CNN about whether Fox News reached out to Obama for comment.[61] Johnson's claim was covered by various pro-Trump websites, such as Drudge Report, Breitbart, InfoWars and The Gateway Pundit, before President Trump himself tweeted "NEW FBI TEXTS ARE BOMBSHELLS!"[61] Other news outlets reported that the text messages were sent in September 2016, months after the Clinton emails investigation had concluded, and three days before Obama would confront Russian President Vladimir Putin about interference in the 2016 election at the G20 Hangzhou summit.[61][64] Associates of Strzok and Page told The Wall Street Journal the texts were about the FBI's investigation into Russian electoral interference.[63] Fox News continued to report the story even after these news outlets had provided this context for the messages.[61]

Congressional Republicans used a purported pro-Clinton bias in Strzok's messages to cast doubt on the thoroughness of the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.[25] In January 2018, it was revealed that Strzok wrote the initial draft of a letter which Comey sent to Congress just days before the 2016 election, announcing the re-opening the Clinton email investigation.[25]

Fox News commentary

While referring to Strzok's messages, some commentators on the Fox News Channel intensified their anti-Mueller rhetoric. Jesse Watters said that Mueller’s investigation now amounted to a coup against President Trump, if "the investigation was weaponized to destroy his presidency for partisan political purposes".[65][66][67][68][69] Fox Business host Lou Dobbs said that the FBI and DOJ were working clandestinely to destroy the Trump presidency, and called for a "war" against the "deep state".[70] One guest on Fox's talk and news show Outnumbered, Kevin Jackson, speculated that Strzok's messages were evidence of a plot by FBI agents to make "an assassination attempt or whatever" against President Trump, which other Fox hosts quickly contradicted and said was not "credible".[71] Fox News figures referred to the investigation as "corrupt", "crooked" and "illegitimate", and likened the FBI to the KGB, the brutal Soviet-era spy organization.[65] Political scientists and experts on coups rejected that Mueller's investigation amounted to a coup.[65]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fairfax Home Sales". The Washington Post. January 8, 2004. to Peter P. Strzok II and Melissa R. Hodgman
  2. ^ a b Browne, Pamela. "Fired FBI official at center of Flynn, Clinton, dossier controversies revealed", Fox News (December 2, 2017).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Jarrett, Laura; Perez, Evan (December 4, 2017). "FBI agent dismissed from Mueller probe changed Comey description of Clinton". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Wilber, Del Quentin; Sonne, Paul (December 3, 2017). "FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Had Key Role in Clinton Email Investigation". The Wall Street Journal. Peter Strzok, 47 years old, was one of the highest-ranking agents at the bureau and was considered one of its most experienced counterintelligence experts.
  5. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/us/politics/fbi-texts-trump.html
  6. ^ Doering, Christopher. "Thieves see ag trade secrets as ripe for picking", Des Moines Register, March 7, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Hosenball, Alex (September 29, 2017). "Special counsel Robert Mueller has assembled a team of 16 seasoned prosecutors". ABC News.
  8. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (August 16, 2017). "A top FBI investigator has unexpectedly stepped away from special counsel Mueller's Russia probe". Business Insider. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Price, Greg. "Will Trump Fire Mueller? Democrats Want to Protect Special Counsel Amid FBI Bias Cries", Newsweek (December 6, 2017).
  10. ^ a b c Bertrand, Natasha (December 9, 2017). "'He was thrown to the wolves': Former FBI agents defend ousted Mueller investigator as Trump attacks 'rigged' DOJ". Business Insider. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  11. ^ “Text Message Raise Questions Of Political Bias By FBI Employees", CBS Miami via MSN (December 13, 2017): "Newly revealed text messages are raising questions about the political bias of two key FBI employees who worked on both the Mueller Russia probe and last year's Hillary Clinton email investigation."
  12. ^ Vazquez, Maegan. "Mnuchin says he has no reason to think Trump will fire Mueller", CNN (December 17, 2017): "[Mueller removed Strzok] after learning he had exchanged text messages with an FBI attorney that showed bias against then-candidate Trump."
  13. ^ a b Fandos, Nicholas; Savage, Charlie (December 13, 2017). "Justice Dept. Official Defends Mueller as Republicans Try to Discredit Him". New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2017. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein adamantly defended the character and impartiality of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, as he came head-to-head on Wednesday with an increasingly aggressive campaign by Republicans to discredit the inquiry. The Republicans' effort received a fresh jolt from the release one night earlier of text messages exchanged last year between an F.B.I. agent, Peter Strzok, and an F.B.I. lawyer, Lisa Page, describing the possibility of an election victory by President Trump as 'terrifying' and saying that Hillary Clinton 'just has to win.' Mr. Mueller removed Mr. Strzok from the Russia investigation as soon as he learned of the texts, a step that Mr. Rosenstein praised. Nonetheless, Republicans used the messages as fodder to attack the impartiality of Mr. Mueller during an appearance by Mr. Rosenstein before the House Judiciary Committee. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  14. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (February 2, 2018). "Inside the FBI Life of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, as Told in Their Text Messages". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  15. ^ Vazquez, Meghan. "Peter Strzok says he's willing to testify before House Judiciary Committee". CNN.
  16. ^ St. Cloud Times, p. 38 (May 15, 1987).
  17. ^ "$25K GUAA Participation Challenge", Georgetown University, accessed November 7, 2017.
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  21. ^ Strzok, Peter. "Peter P. Strzok: 50-year difference in Iran", Fayetteville Observer (September 3, 2016).
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  26. ^ https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/102816_FBI-Letter.pdf
  27. ^ "Mueller removed FBI agent from Russia probe for anti-Trump texts: reports"., Reuters (December 2, 2017).
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  29. ^ Levine, Mike. "FBI agent removed from Russia probe had key role in controversial remarks on Clinton", ABC News (December 4, 2017).
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  36. ^ Kutner, Max (December 2, 2017). "Why Mueller threw an agent off the Trump-Russia probe". Newsweek. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  37. ^ Jarrett, Laura (June 19, 2018). "FBI agent Strzok Escorted from FBI Building Friday". CNN. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  38. ^ Zapotsky, Matt (June 19, 2018). "FBI agent who said 'we'll stop' Trump from becoming president escorted from building, though he remains a bureau employee". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  39. ^ a b c d e Johnson, Kevin (December 12, 2017). "Peter Strzok, FBI agent removed from Robert Mueller's Russia probe, called Trump an 'idiot'". USA Today. Peter Strzok, a counter-intelligence agent who also helped run the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, expressed a clear preference for the Democratic candidate while leveling expletive-laden insults against Republicans
  40. ^ a b c d e Gerstein, Josh (December 12, 2017). "In texts, FBI agents on Russia probe called Trump an 'idiot'". Politico.
  41. ^ Jarrett, Laura. "Justice Dept. offers up key witness in Russia probe as House Intel Chair threatens contempt", CNN, December 4, 2017.
  42. ^ a b c Demirjian, Karoun; Barrett, Devlin (December 2, 2017). "Top FBI official assigned to Mueller's Russia probe said to have been removed after sending anti-Trump texts". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  43. ^ Perez, Evan (December 4, 2017). "FBI agent removed from Mueller investigation". CNN. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  44. ^ Delk, Josh (December 14, 2017). "FBI agent removed from Russia probe also lambasted Sanders, Holder in texts". TheHill. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  45. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (December 14, 2017). "Full Texts: FBI Employees' Messages Bashed Trump, Sanders, Congress". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660.
  46. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (December 14, 2017). "FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  47. ^ Hartmann, Margaret (December 13, 2017). "We Now Know FBI Agents Privately Called Trump an 'Idiot,' But Not Why That's Relevant". New York. Strzok and Page held political views typical of the average Clinton voter....
  48. ^ "Texts: FBI considered Patrick Fitzgerald as special prosecutor for Hillary Clinton emails". POLITICO. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  49. ^ Barrett, Devlin (December 15, 2017). "FBI officials' text message about Hillary Clinton said to be a cover story for romantic affair". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  50. ^ Samuels, Brett (January 23, 2018). "GOP senator releases additional messages from FBI agent removed from Mueller probe". TheHill. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  51. ^ Williams, Katie (December 12, 2017). "FBI agent becomes GOP public enemy No. 1". The Hill. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  52. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (December 2, 2017). "Mueller Reassigned Top Aide on Russia Probe After Anti-Trump Texts". The Wall Street Journal.
  53. ^ Graham, David (December 7, 2017). "The Strange Tale of Peter Strzok". The Atlantic. Wray said during testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that, although he had been reassigned, Strzok had not been punished
  54. ^ Nguyen, Tina (December 15, 2017). "Has the D.O.J. Overplayed Its "Textgate" Scandal?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
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  56. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (December 18, 2017). "In FBI Agent's Account, 'Insurance Policy' Text Referred to Russia Probe". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
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  58. ^ Lynch, Sarah N. (January 21, 2018). "Senator says FBI lost crucial texts tied to Clinton probe". Reuters. Retrieved January 22, 2018. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, revealed in a Jan. 20 letter that the FBI's technical system failed to preserve texts that were exchanged between Lisa Page, a lawyer, and Peter Strzok, an agent, between mid-December 2016 through mid-May of 2017.
  59. ^ "Thousands of FBI-issued phones had glitch that failed to save texts". CBS News. January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
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