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An FBI agent whose anti-Trump messages fueled the suspicions of bias said during a bitterly controversial and sometimes chaotic congressional hearing Thursday that his work has never been tainted by politics , rejecting with anger the Republican allegations that he decided to stop. Donald Trump became president
Peter Strzok testified publicly for the first time since his withdrawal from the team of Special Advisor Robert Mueller, telling lawmakers in a one-day session that texts exchanged with a lawyer The FBI in the run up to the 2016 presidential election reflected personal views on which he had never acted.
"At no time in any of these texts did these personal beliefs ever come into my actions," Strzok said. went down in chaos at first. Republican Robert Goodlatte of Virginia said that Strzok needed to answer questions and suggested that they might despise him.
Strzok said that he could not answer a question on the subject. the early stages of the FBI investigation into the Russian intervention because the investigation is still ongoing and that the FBI lawyer had ordered him not to do so. The Democrats opposed Goodlatte's repeated attempts to force Strzok to respond.
At one point, Goodlatte told Strzok that he could only consult his own lawyer, not an FBI lawyer. Democrats responded with a call to bring back the former Trump councilor Steve Bannon, who was not forced to answer some questions.
Goodlatte finally let the hearing of the judicial and body oversight committees proceed without calling the board on vacation.
Republican Trey Gowdy, seen in disagreement with Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland, during one of the frequent interruptions of the committee's proceedings, accused the FBI agent of "bias for textbooks school. " (Joshua Roberts / Reuters)
Strzok worked on the FBI's investigations on the use by the Democratic candidate of an email server in addition to the investigation on coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. He was removed from Mueller's team following the discovery of derogatory text messages last year, traded with an FBI lawyer with whom he had an affair.
Republican committee members grilled Strzok as they contend that text messages with Lisa Page The result of the Clinton email survey and undermine the FBI's ongoing investigation of interference Russian electoral system.
Repulican Trey Gowdy of South Carolina stated that Strzok was "biased toward textbooks" and that Clinton had "won the White House" before the end of his investigation.
Special attention of the right-wing media, a text of August 8, 2016 in which Strzok, discussing with Page the prospect of a Trump victory, says, "No, no, we will not do it." 19659002] At one point, Strzok says that he did not appreciate an badertion from Gowdy, who retorted, "I'm crazy about what you appreciate."
Strzok responded with anger, saying that the text "we will stop" came in response to campaign events such as Trump insulting the immigrant father of a fallen American soldier
Strzok l 39; called "horrible and disgusting behavior", and said that he was saying that the "electorate" would stop "a candidate like that." He said it was not a statement that he or the FBI would interfere unduly with the electoral process.
"The suggestion that me and some darkroom somewhere in the FBI would reject in a way that e or else another all these procedures, all these guarantees and somehow be able to do it, is staggering for me, "said Strzok. "It just could not happen."
The response was met with applause from some Democrats in the committee room
"Just to say", Strzok hated Trump
Trump himself launched personal attacks against both FBI officials , including a tweet Wednesday night that asked "how the Rigged Witch Hunt can proceed when he started, influenced and worked, for a period of time" by Strzok. He called the texts "hateful and biased".
How can the Rigged Witches Hunt continue when it has been started, influenced and worked, for a long time, by the former FBI agent / lover, Peter Strzok? Read his hate filled and totally biased Emails and the answer is clear!
Strzok said the proposal that there is a conspiracy within the first national law enforcement agency "deeply gnawing" faith in the FBI.
But Ohio Republican Steve Cabot convinced Strzok to admit that it was "fair to say" that he supported Hillary Clinton and hated both Donald Trump . "
Strzok says in his opening speech that his work He has never been tainted with politics and the scrutiny that he faces represents" only another victory of Putin's Belt. "
In the prepared remarks, Strzok acknowledged that if his textual criticisms were" direct ", they were not directed to a person or political party, and included jabs not only to Trump, but also to Clinton as well as Senator Bernie Sanders.
"Let me be clear, unequivocal and under oath: not once in my 26 years of defense my nation did my best. hold up posters at the House committee hearing involving Peter Strzok that illustrate the men who have pleaded guilty until now in the investigation of the special advocate investigating the l '& comité enquête enquête enquête Peter Peter Peter Peter Peter 39 39 39 39 39 foreign interference in the year 2016. presidential election entielle. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)
Strzok also stated that he was one of the few people in the 2016 US elections who knew the details of Russian and Russian electoral interference. his possible connections with people on Trump's orbit. could have derailed Trump's electoral chances. "But," he says, "the thought of exposing this information has never crossed the mind."
This is a point that has been widely dismissed in Trump's friendly media circles, with a text sent to Page in May 2017 also receiving relatively little control. In this document, Strzok describes his reluctance to work on behalf of the special adviser, which seems to imply that he did not think that there would be substantial results of collusion between Russia and the team campaign of Donald Trump.
"I hesitate partly because of my intuition and my concern, there is not much there," Strzok said in his speech
. in referring to the president, "this survey is not motivated by political considerations, it is not a witch hunt, it is not a hoax".
Strzok appeared before the House last week in camera. The Inspector General of the Justice Department criticized Strzok and Page for creating an appearance of impropriety throughout the texts. But the report says that he found no evidence of political bias in the FBI's decision not to prosecute criminal charges against Clinton. And many Democrats say that the measures taken by law enforcement during the election campaign – including the announcement of the reopening of the Clinton inquiry a few days before the elections – end up harming to Democratic candidate and Republican candidate Trump
Wray said that the office referred to internal disciplinary officials of employees who were criticized in the Inspector General's report.
Page left the office in May. His lawyer said Mr. Page had volunteered to appear before the committees later this month, but needed more details on what the legislators would ask.
