Peter Strzok, the FBI counterintelligence agent who said “we’ll stop” then-candidate Donald Trump from becoming president, was interviewed by members of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees behind closed doors for nearly 10 hours Wednesday, and House Republicans and Democrats remain divided over the impact his apparent political bias had on the investigations he helped coordinate.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., called the interview a “feisty, tense exchange,” and said the text messages Strzok sent with his FBI colleague Lisa Page — with whom he was having an extramarital affair — were simply part of an “intimate conversation.”
“I don’t walk away with the impression that politics bias actually controlled the actions of FBI agents,” Krishnamoorthi added. “I just don’t see any evidence of a conspiracy.”
The closed-door interview began at 10 a.m. and moved to a classified setting just before 8 p.m. Strzok ignored all reporters’ questions before and after the hearing.
Rep. Shiela Jackson Lee, D-Texas, also described the text conversation as an “intimate conversation between intimate friends.”
Strzok was a top FBI agent on the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server, and simultaneously served on the bureau’s Russia investigation. The 20-year FBI veteran was then detailed to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, as was Page, but both were removed after their disparaging text messages about Trump came to light.
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz criticized Strzok for bias in a lengthy report released earlier this month.
In August 2016 — days after the Russia investigation into interference in the election and possible links to the Trump campaign was opened — Strzok texted Page that “we’ll stop” Trump from making it to the White House.
“[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!” Page wrote to Strzok.
“No. No he won’t. We’ll stop it,” Strzok responded.
Though the IG said he found no evidence that Strzok’s decision making was skewed by his bias, he admitted he “did not have the confidence” that Strzok’s decision to prioritize the Russia investigation over new Clinton emails on Anthony Weiner’s laptop was ”free from bias.”
However, Horowitz found that decisions made were investigative judgment calls, not politically biased ones.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said the private messages show intent.
“I would expect any witness to suggest they’ve looked at this impartially. I don’t know how any reasonable person reads the texts and concludes there was not bias,” Meadows explained. “If you have an intimate personal conversation between two people — that normally would show the intent.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, also called the messages “private expressions of opinion.”
“He said the context was there were private emails, and these were certainly not any intent to act on anything,” explained Nadler.
Nadler said Republicans were “wasting a lot of time on stupid questions.”
“It’s a farce. If you want to report on it as a serious endeavor … It’s not,” remarked Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.
Meadows, who chairs the House Freedom Caucus, also said during the questioning of Strzok that “new information has come out” that was not in the IG report, but declined multiple times to describe what that information was.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said, “Oh definitely,” when asked if they learned anything new from Strzok that wasn’t in the IG report.
“But I just can’t tell you,” he added.
When asked if any new information was learned, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., simply responded, “No.”
Meadows and other Trump-aligned Republicans have seized on the battering of Strzok in the report.
“Why was the FBI’s sick loser, Peter Strzok, working on the totally discredited Mueller team of 13 Angry & Conflicted Democrats, when Strzok was giving Crooked Hillary a free pass yet telling his lover, lawyer Lisa Page, that ‘we’ll stop’ Trump from becoming President? Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted when the IG report came out.
But Strzok has defended himself through his lawyer in the weeks following the report’s release.
Aitan Goelmen, Strzok’s lawyer, first called the report “critically flawed.”
“In fact, all facts contained in the report lead to the conclusion that the delay was caused by a variety of factors and miscommunications that had nothing to do with Special Agent Strzok’s political views. The report itself provides indisputable evidence that, when informed that Weiner’s laptop contained Clinton emails, Strzok immediately had the matter pursued by two of his most qualified and aggressive investigators,” he said in a statement.
Before Wednesday’s hearing began, Strzok’s lawyer sent an email with a resume of his accomplishments.
“Pete served his country in the military and has taken on dictators and spies in service to America’s national security. He has always conducted himself without bias and with dedication to finding the truth and protecting the public from our nation’s enemies. He has been repeatedly recognized for his skill and professionalism and the success of his work, and he has earned great respect from nearly everyone – whether other agents, prosecutors or US Intelligence Community officers– he has worked with,” the email read.
It is unclear if Strzok still is employed by the FBI, as he was demoted to the human resources division and was escorted from the bureau’s headquarters less than two weeks ago as part of an ongoing disciplinary investigation.
The IG did refer his findings on Strzok to the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which recommends possible disciplinary measures.
Democrats said continually harping at the results of the IG report is simply a means to discredit Mueller.
“Basically what we have here from Republicans spending quite a bit of time re-investigating what the IG has already investigated,” Cummings said. “This is an effort to try to shine some negative light on what special counsel Robert Mueller is doing.”
Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said Republicans have a “narrative” they are looking to promote.
“[It’s] all designed for the same purpose: to undermine the integrity of the investigation of Robert Mueller. This is an ongoing coordinated effort by the president and his allies,” he added.
The Strzok hearing came against the backdrop of another quarrel: House Republicans’ desire for Justice Department and FBI documents related to investigations that occurred during the 2016 election.
The House plans to vote Thursday on an unenforceable resolution from Meadows that compels the DOJ to turn over documents requested through House Judiciary and House Intelligence subpoenas.
Meadows told reporters Wednesday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein should be impeached if the records are not turned over early next month by the new resolution’s deadline.
“If all the documents are not complied by July 6 […] then certainly contempt and impeachment would be in order,” Meadows said.
The resolution insists the Justice Department “fully comply” with subpoenas from the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, which includes documents pertaining to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act program and the FBI’s use of a confidential informant on the Trump campaign.
Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller, will be on Capitol Hill early Thursday to testify in an open setting before the House Judiciary Committee on the IG report — setting up a full floor vote for the same time.
