Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, July 28, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
What did former FBI employees and extramarital lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page get for their virulent hatred of Donald Trump?
A cool $2 million from the Department of Justice that is widely believed to have weaponized the FBI against Trump and his defenders since before winning the presidency in 2016.
Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.Futhermore, pending additional lawsuits brought by Strzok, the deal purchased the duo’s silence on the Trump-Russia hoax.
Strzok and Page reached settlements with the bureau over reported violations of their privacy rights. The Biden government is paying Strzok $1.2 million and Page $800,000.
Strzok and Page sued the DOJ after officials with the FBI shared copies of text messages they sent each other describing their hatred of Trump with the press.
“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” Strozk’s attorney, Aitan D. Goelman, wrote in a statement. “As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees. We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that, in the future, public servants are protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics.”
That continued litigation is in the form of two lawsuits Strzok launched against the DOJ. The former agent charged the release of the texts violated his constitutional rights and the DOJ’s decision to fire him was politically motivated. Strzok wants to be reinstated to his job so he can retire with full benefits.
Page said in a statement to the Associated Press: “While I have been vindicated by this result, my fervent hope remains that our institutions of justice will never again play politics with the lives of their employees.”
When news of the settlement first became public in May, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland on why the DOJ was “reward[ing” Strzok and Page.
“It’s not a question of reward. It’s a question of the government paying for violating the law,” Garland said in response.
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Strzok was a key player in the bogus Trump-Russia collusion investigation.
In 2016, while their affair was kept on the down low by the bureau, the 35-year-old Page served as an advisor to then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. The 45-year-old Strzok, despite the affair, was promoted later that year to deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division.
On March 3, 2016, Page texted Strzok: “God trump is a loathsome human.” In this series of texts, as in most, it is Page who initiates the Trump bashing and Strzok who plays along to curry her favor. Page, in particular, has little use for any Republican. “Would he be a worse president than cruz?” she asks. Responds Strzok, “Trump? Yes, I think so.”
“[Trump’s] not going to become president, right? Right?!” Page texted on Aug. 8, 2016. “No. No, he’s not,” Strzok responded. “We’ll stop it.”
On Oct. 19, 2016, the final debate between Hillary Clinton and Trump, Strzok provided a running update to Lisa Page, texting: “Oh hot damn, HRC is throwing down saying Trump in bed with Russia.”
The Strzok-Page texts did not just infuriate Trump. The Justice Department IG said they showed ‘extremely poor judgment and a gross lack of professionalism.’ The public had a right to know, especially with the FISA abuse investigation. https://t.co/2vyOMrzipt pic.twitter.com/9RjWBSFtY0
— Byron York (@ByronYork) July 27, 2024
DOJ settles with Strzok and Page but not with Trump and his supporters added by Editor Two on July 28, 2024
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