President Trump complained Tuesday that his Department of Justice and the FBI are doing “nothing” in response to a newly revealed text message from former FBI official Peter Strzok about a “media leak strategy” while he was part of the bureau’s Russia investigation.
“New Strzok-Page texts reveal ‘Media Leak Strategy,’” Trump tweeted early Tuesday. “So terrible, and NOTHING is being done at DOJ or FBI – but the world is watching, and they get it completely.”
New Strzok-Page texts reveal “Media Leak Strategy.” @FoxNews So terrible, and NOTHING is being done at DOJ or FBI – but the world is watching, and they get it completely.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2018
On Monday, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., sent a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein raising “grave concerns regarding an apparent systemic culture of media leaking by high-ranking officials at the FBI and DOJ related to ongoing investigations” after more text messages between Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page were given to Congress.
Meadows pointed to an April 10, 2017, message from Strzok as evidence.
“I had literally just gone to find this phone to tell you I want to talk to you about media leak strategy with DOJ before you go,” Strzok wrote in the message to Page.
Strzok’s lawyer Aitan Goelman, however, said the term “media leak strategy” in his client’s messages refers to a DOJ-wide initiative to detect and stop aides sharing information with the media.
“The President and his enablers are once again peddling unfounded conspiracy theories to mislead the American People,” Goelman said in a written statement.
The Washington Post reported that a text message was sent that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page had been surveilled by the FBI after it had obtained a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The warrant has been at the center of a heated debate between Republicans and Democrats since it partly relied on an unsubstantiated dossier containing salacious details about President Trump.
“Evidence suggests senior officials at the FBI and DOJ communicated with other news outlets beyond the Washington Post, as well,” Meadows said in the letter.
Strzok, who was having an extramarital affair with Page at the time of the text exchange, was fired from the FBI in August after he appeared before House investigators to testify about his actions during the Russia investigation. He told lawmakers at the hearing that he had not spoken to journalists while working on the Russia investigation.
