Defiant in face of Republican interrogation

FBI agent Strzok defiant in face of Republican interrogation

The hearing quickly devolved into a partisan spectacle as lawmakers clashed over Strzok’s testimony.

By KYLE CHENEY

Republicans lashed out at FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok for roughly nine hours on Thursday, berating his assertions that his anti-Donald Trump sentiment — captured in text messages exposed by an internal watchdog — never affected his work on the Russia probe.

But a defiant Strzok hit back at GOP lawmakers, defending his professionalism and slamming the hearing as a “victory notch in Putin’s belt.” And he got backup from Democrats who accused Republicans of harassing Strzok and running roughshod over the committees.

“Let me be clear, unequivocally and under oath: Not once in my 26 years of defending my nation did my personal opinions impact any official action I took,” Strzok said in his opening statement to the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, his first public remarks on the matter.

Strzok instead cast his decision to help launch and lead the FBI investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election as an act of patriotism in defense of American democracy. And he took a swing at congressional Republicans for targeting him as the bad guy.

“I have the utmost respect for Congress’s oversight role, but I truly believe that today’s hearing is just another victory notch in Putin’s belt and another milestone in our enemies’ campaign to tear America apart,” he said.

Soon after, the hearing degenerated into a partisan morass.

In his first question, House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy pressed Strzok on how many witnesses he had interviewed in the first eight days of the Russia probe — from July 31, 2016, to Aug. 8, 2016 — and Strzok said FBI counsel instructed him not to discuss the ongoing probe.

House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte quickly interjected and ordered Strzok to answer the question or risk contempt proceedings.

“You are under subpoena,” Goodlatte said.

“I do not believe I am here under subpoena,” Strzok replied.

Democrats repeatedly interrupted and demanded answers for how Goodlatte could instruct him to defy his employer, the FBI, to answer a question about an ongoing investigation.

The dispute resulted in bickering and shouting among members and an attempt by Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Judiciary Committee Democrat, to adjourn the hearing.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) accused Gowdy of engaging in “harassment” of Strzok.

Trump and GOP allies have fixated on Strzok after a series of text messages revealed deep anti-Trump sentiment from Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page.

The two shared critiques of figures on both sides of the aisle but saved their most intense vitriol for Trump. Strzok indicated in one 2016 message that Trump wouldn’t become president because “we’ll stop it.”

Strzok expressed regret at the hearing for his actions and the collateral damage it did.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I am sorry for these texts and the way they’ve been used, for the harm and hurt they’ve caused my family, for the perception of people in the public. I am sorry and deeply regretful for that.“

Strzok played a central role in the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server and the Russia probe and even briefly joined special counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Mueller removed Strzok after DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz uncovered Strzok’s messages.

Earlier, Strzok sat stone-faced while Goodlatte blasted his conduct and read aloud a litany of Strzok’s incendiary text messages, from saying “F--- Trump” to “Trump is a disaster.” He sat similarly silent while lawmakers referenced his intimate relationship with Page.

“In fact, for those who think we are wasting time in this committee, suppose all of this had been said about candidate Obama before he was elected, or even more topical, about Hillary Clinton while she was running in the same election,” Goodlatte said. “Would we be where we are today? The only honest answer is an absolute affirmative, ‘yes.’”

In a sharp back-and-forth between Strzok and Gowdy, Strzok denied that he was removed from Mueller’s team because of his anti-Trump sentiment but rather for the “appearance” of bias. He accused Gowdy of misrepresenting his testimony on the matter and said he didn’t “appreciate” it.

“I don’t give a damn what you appreciate,” Gowdy shot back.

Strzok’s voice rose as he defended himself against charges of bias.

He said his text suggesting “we’ll stop” Trump was a reference to American voters. He said the comment came shortly after Trump criticized the family of a fallen soldier that appeared at the Democratic National Convention. He said Trump had displayed “horrible, disgusting behavior” and that was the sentiment behind his text.

“It was in no way any suggestion that me, the FBI would take any action,” he said.

Strzok later said he was sure after Trump insulted the Gold Star Family that “there was no way that the American population was going to elect this man.” He said his text to Page, saying “we’ll stop” Trump was an “off the cuff, ‘hey don’t worry about it’ sort of comment.”

Strzok also offered context and explanations for some of the most controversial texts touted by Republicans as evidence of bias in the Russia investigation.

In one of those texts, Strzok compared the Russia probe to an “insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you're 40.” Republicans have interpreted that text as a sign that he viewed the Russia investigation as a safeguard against a Trump presidency.

But Strzok provided a detailed alternative explanation. He said the text reflected an internal FBI debate about how aggressively to pursue the Russia probe because acting on it might compromise “an extraordinarily sensitive source and method.”

“If you take action on it, you put it at risk. There’s a tension there,” he said.

One camp argued to “roll slow” because polls showed Trump unlikely to win the election and therefore it wouldn’t be worth potentially burning a source. But Strzok said he urged a more aggressive approach. “What I advocated for is, ‘Look, we’re the FBI. We need to do our job. We need to go investigate.‘”

Under questioning from Nadler, Strzok said he was aware of FBI personnel who were either pro- or anti-Trump. But he said he had no knowledge that any of those officials’ personal beliefs bled into their work at the bureau.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) asked Strzok to read, and in some cases repeat, some of his harshest text messages in which he criticized Trump, including one calling his potential presidency “destabilizing.”

Strzok, offered time to respond to Issa’s request, said the context of that text was significant: It came on the heels of a campaign speech in which Trump had cast doubt about whether he’d continue the U.S. commitment to the NATO alliance. Trump has harshly criticized NATO and threatened to pull out of the military alliance in Brussels on Thursday unless European leaders spent more for mutual defense.

Strzok also repeatedly said he couldn’t address questions related to a dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, because they impinged on an ongoing investigation. Steele’s dossier described a complex and multi-year effort by Russia to cultivate Trump and ultimately help him win the presidency. It later emerged that Steele’s work was funded by research firm Fusion GPS, which was hired by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party.

Under questioning from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Strzok said he never had communication with Mother Jones reporter David Corn, who was one of the first reporters to reveal the existence of Steele’s work. He also said he never had contact with Glenn Simpson, one of the founders of Fusion GPS. Nor, he said, did he have any contact with Nellie Ohr, a Fusion employee whose spouse, Bruce Ohr, was a senior Justice Department official.

Strzok recalled having interactions with Bruce Ohr about “investigative matters” but said he was unable to confirm whether they included the Russia investigation because the FBI has instructed him not to discuss ongoing matters.

Strzok later said "no" when asked if the dossier was part of his decision to help open the FBI's Russia investigation in 2016, though he said he could not elaborate further.

Horowitz’s recent report describing misjudgments and misconduct by some top FBI officials in the Clinton investigation singled out Strzok for casting a cloud over the bureau but also found no evidence that Strzok’s personal views affected the outcome of the Clinton probe. He’s still reviewing Strzok’s role in the handling of the Russia probe.

Strzok defended himself and the FBI against charges that they had pre-cooked the investigation of Clinton’s email server to exonerate her. He said a pre-drafted statement read at a news conference by FBI Director James Comey in July 2016 — in which he recommended no charges against Clinton — was based on their understanding of evidence and wasn’t finalized until right before Comey delivered it.

He said a large team of career Justice Department officials and FBI leaders had reviewed “mountains of evidence” and conducted “tons of interviews” and “saw a number of very fatal areas where elements of the crime were lacking.”

Page was expected to testify behind closed doors on Wednesday but defied a congressional subpoena after her lawyer accused the committees of “bullying tactics” and failing to give her a chance to prepare. GOP lawmakers threatened to hold her in contempt of Congress. On Thursday, Goodlatte announced Page had agreed to sit for an interview Friday and Monday with the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.

Strzok‘s testimony raises the stakes for Page, with Republicans surely looking for daylight between their recollections that could raise questions about their version of events.

Trump has spent months attacking Strzok and Page on Twitter — routinely calling them “lovers” (a reference to their reported affair) and suggesting the Mueller probe is illegitimate because of Strzok’s brief role in it. He accused both of ducking congressional testimony, though Strzok has already testified for 11 hours privately to the two House committees and Page’s lawyer Amy Jeffress indicated she had already given testimony to a different committee.

“As I head out to a very important NATO meeting, I see that FBI Lover/Agent Lisa Page is dodging a Subpoena & is refusing to show up and testify,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning from Brussels. “What can she possibly say about her statements and lies.”

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) provoked a furor in the hearing when he swiped at Strzok’s “smirk” and then wondered, “How many times did you look so innocent into your wife’s eyes,” a reference to Strzok’s affair with Page.

Democrats erupted. “It’s like an insane asylum,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) exclaimed. Another Democrat was heard shouting “You need your medication!“

When the room quieted, Strzok lit into Gohmert and his decision to raise a personal matter in which a family member was “hurting.”

It “goes more to a discussion of your character,” Strzok said.

Democrats meanwhile repeatedly turned the focus onto their GOP colleagues, asserting that the entire hearing was a “circus” or a “ruse” to undermine Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

"This hearing is a kangaroo court. It is a three-ring circus," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). "It is not even meritorious of an investigation by Ace Ventura, Pet Detective let alone 75 members of the United State Congress."