FBI agent Peter Strzok, Republicans face off in the audacity of the House



[ad_1]

The nearly 10-hour hearing was a busy and chaotic affair with repeated explosions and disputes between lawmakers and several passionate and sometimes deeply personal exchanges between Strzok and the congressional Republicans.

These texts have made these personal beliefs fall within the realm of any action that I have taken, "said Strzok." The suggestion that I am in a dark room somewhere at the FBI would reject any of the actions that I have taken. one way or another all these procedures, all these guarantees, and somehow being able to do that is amazing to me – that just could not happen. "

" The moment the special advisor Bob Mueller discovered the text and emails from Peter Strzok chased him out of the investigation, said House Watch committee chairman Trey Gowdy, a Republican from South Carolina. "But It has been a year and a half too late, the text and emails may have been discovered in May 2017, but the bias existed and was already manifesting a year and a half before the end of 2015 and early 2016. This n & # 39; So is not the discovery of the texts that made him fired, that is the manifest bias in these texts that rendered it unfit to investigate objectively and impartially. "

RELATED: Trump stings on the findings of the Department of Justice report

hearing, which was the first public appearance Strzok since he became a central figure in the investigation of the Russia, stressed the deep tensions on Capitol Hill on the FBI's investigations related to the elections of 2016.

The president and his allies cited the text between Strzok and Page, who is no longer at the FBI, as evidence that Mueller's investigation is biased against the president, and Trump tweeted several times on Strzok in the run-up to Thursday's hearing.

Gohmert attac The character of ks Strzok

As soon as the questions started, the hearing turned into a partisan verbal fight while Bob Goodlatte, president of the judiciary, struggled to keep control of the courtroom crowded.

There was frequent interference ruptures, but the loudest came several hours after the Democrats explosion during a tense exchange between Strzok and Repie Louie Gohmert, Texas Republican, who seemed to question Strzok's character. According to a Democratic deputy, the FBI agent, Peter Strzok, deserves to be nicknamed "Purple Heart" ” data-src-mini=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-small-169.jpg” data-src-xsmall=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-medium-plus-169.jpg” data-src-small=”http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-large-169.jpg” data-src-medium=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-exlarge-169.jpg” data-src-large=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-super-169.jpg” data-src-full16x9=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-full-169.jpg” data-src-mini1x1=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-small-11.jpg” data-demand-load=”not-loaded” data-eq-pts=”mini: 0, xsmall: 221, small: 308, medium: 461, large: 781″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhEAAJAJEAAAAAAP///////wAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAQAAkAAAIKlI+py+0Po5yUFQA7″/>

  The 5 key lines of the report IG of the Ministry of Justice ]

"Only with your own counsel," replied Goodlatte

"Mr. Speaker, there is no reason for that," protested Jerry Nadler, member of the Judiciary Committee of the Upper House of New York. "He can consult the FBI board, he is an employee of the FBI."

"Goodlatte replied."

"And the president is not correct," Nadler replied.

After a lunch break, Strzok said that the FBI now allowed him to answer this question – and he did not remember how many interviews

Gowdy and Strzok are facing

Gowdy engages in several heated exchanges with Strzok, with interruptions from the Democrats.

"Oh, Agent Strzok, please! Are you kidding?" Gowdy said when Strzok said his lyrics on impeachment were not predetermining a result in the investigation of Russia.

Strzok argued that Mueller did not remove him from his team because of the

"I tell you that it's not my understanding that he's there." hunted because of any bias, that it was done according to appearance, "said Mr. Strzok," if you want to represent what you have said with precision.I am happy to answer this question , but I do not appreciate what was originally said changed. "

  A Tale of Two Investigations: Benghazi vs. Mueller

"I'm crazy about what you appreciate, Agent Strzok," replied Gowdy. "I do not appreciate having an FBI agent with an unprecedented level of animus working on two major investigations in 2016."

Strzok sought to explain his texts, including Ding when he said to "We will stop" Trump, who said that it was written in response to Trump's attacks on a Gold Star family during the 2016 campaign.

"My presumption, based on this behavior horrible and disgusting that the American population would not elect anyone who demonstrates that this behavior is the president of the United States, "said Strzok. "This was by no means, unequivocally, any suggestion that I, the FBI, would take any action to improperly influence the electoral process, for any candidate."

Republicans Highlight Text Messages

Strzok was pressed by many Republicans over his lyrics and his assertion that his political beliefs did not affect his FBI work.

"When you said that you never crossed this inviolable line, what you meant was except 50,000 times, Except for hundreds of times a day where I went and came back, expressing my personal opinions on "running away" Trump and stop Trump and attack Trump on the official phones of the FBI, on the official time of the FBI, "said John Ratcliffe representative of Texas.

"Agent Strzok, do you begin to understand why some people do not believe a word you say?" He added:

California GOP representative Darrell Issa of California asked Strzok to read his own text messages to the audience, including when he called Trump a "shower" [19659018] Peter Strzok, FBI agent. why he sent an anti-Trump text ” data-src-mini=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-small-169.jpg” data-src-xsmall=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-medium-plus-169.jpg” data-src-small=”http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-large-169.jpg” data-src-medium=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-exlarge-169.jpg” data-src-large=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-super-169.jpg” data-src-full16x9=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-full-169.jpg” data-src-mini1x1=”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180712105809-03-peter-strzok-0712-small-11.jpg” data-demand-load=”not-loaded” data-eq-pts=”mini: 0, xsmall: 221, small: 308, medium: 461, large: 781″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhEAAJAJEAAAAAAP///////wAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAQAAkAAAIKlI+py+0Po5yUFQA7″/>

"Sir, n & n Is not it? Strzok asked when Issa asked him to repeat a message. "You just want to hear it, for me to say it again … Of course, happy to please you." [19659002] Goodlatte suggested that Republicans could open a new avenue to investigate Strzok, noting that text messages on his personal phone have not been returned and suggesting similar messages could be found.

Democrats, meanwhile, criticized the Republicans for their attacks on Strzok as an effort to undermine the Mueller investigation.

And the Democrats threatened to publish the report. transcript of the private interview of Strzok On the Goodlatte's objections later on Thursday.

"Now, call the majority to publish this transcript in its entirety today," said Nadler. "This will show that it is the whole of the joint investigation that is at best a partisan distraction from more important issues."

Following page. Strzok

For a brief moment, lawmakers launched the idea of ​​Strzok having some company when he appeared on Thursday – while the committee was offering a place to testify at Thursday's hearing.

Page was summoned for an in camera interview on Wednesday but challenged the summons, saying that she had not received
Goodlatte told Alisyn Camerota about the " CNN's "New Day" Thursday morning that Page had accepted an interview on Friday. Her lawyer confirmed to CNN that she would be interviewed on Friday and that she would not show up at Thursday's public hearing.
  Lisa Page will meet Congress in camera on Friday

Before the hearing, Nadler and Elijah Cummings MP from Maryland, the highest Democrat of the House Oversight Committee, Wednesday issued a statement about the questions asked by Republicans in Strzok. the closed session, including questions about his extramarital affair with Page and his vote in 2016.

"This inquiry is a political masquerade – a platform for raising the theories of the far right plot and undermining the The president's criminal investigation and his campaign aides, "Nadler and Cummings said in this statement.

But Goodlatte pushed back to the top of the hearing, defending the investigation of his committee.

"For my colleagues on the other side of the House, please replace the name of President Trump by your own name in a small sample of what Mr. Strzok said," he said.

updated and will continue to update during Thursday's hearing with additional developments.

CNN's Manu Raju, David Shortell, David Siegel, Liz Stark and Caroline Kelly contributed to this report. [ad_2]
Source link