FBI agent Strzok fired over texts about Trump
WASHINGTON • The FBI has fired agent Peter Strzok, who helped lead the bureau’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election until officials discovered he had been sending antitrump texts.
Aitan Goelman, Strzok’s attorney, said FBI deputy director David Bowdich ordered the firing Friday, even though the director of the FBI office that normally handles employee discipline had decided Strzok should face only a demotion and 60-day suspension. Goelman said the move undercuts the FBI’S repeated assurances that Strzok would be afforded the normal disciplinary process. The FBI declined to comment.
The termination marks a remarkable downfall for Strzok, a 22-year veteran of the bureau who investigated Russian spies, defence officials accused of selling secrets to China and myriad other important cases. Strzok was integral to two of the bureau’s high-profile investigations: the Russia case and the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
But when a Justice Department inspector-general investigation uncovered politically charged messages that Strzok had exchanged with another FBI official, he was relegated to a position in human resources. Conservatives soon made Strzok the face of their attacks against the special-counsel investigation into the president’s campaign, and the FBI took steps to remove Strzok from its ranks.
Conservatives on Monday hailed the move. President Donald Trump used it to suggest the Russia investigation should be dropped.
“Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI finally. The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer. Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped? It is a total Hoax. No Collusion, No Obstruction - I just fight back!” he wrote.
Because Strzok was a senior-level FBI employee, and because the FBI’S No. 2 official directed his firing, he has few realistic avenues left to get back his job. It was unclear whether he planned to pursue legal action against the bureau. Strzok is the third high-ranking FBI official involved in the Clinton and Russia investigations to be fired amid an intensely political backdrop.