Former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who were centers of controversy during the Trump-Russia investigation, have reached settlements with their former employer over violations of their privacy rights. The government is paying Strzok $1.2 million and Page $800,000 in settlements.
Strzok was a senior FBI counterintelligence agent who helped oversee the agency’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in 2016. He also worked on the investigation of the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate’s private email server , Hillary Clinton. Page was an FBI lawyer involved in the Trump probe.
Both sued the Justice Department after FBI officials shared with the press copies of text messages they sent to each other describing former President Trump as an “idiot” and a “disgusting human.”
“This outcome is a critical step in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” Strozk’s attorney said. Aitan D. Goelman, wrote in a statement. “As important as this is to him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees. We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that, in the future, public employees are protected from adverse employment actions driven by partisan politics.”
“While I have been vindicated by this outcome, my fervent hope remains that our institutions of justice will never again play politics with the lives of their employees,” Page said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Both Strozk and Page became targets of right-wing ire after these messages were leaked, with Trump repeatedly citing them specifically as evidence of a government conspiracy against him. Both also left their jobs after the texts were leaked.
In 2019, Strzok and Page filed separate lawsuits against the Department of Justice and the FBI for violating the Privacy Act by releasing their texts to the press before turning them over to Congress. This led to a firestorm from congressional Republicans, who used his texts as part of an attack on the FBI’s investigation into Trump, calling the investigation biased.
A report from the Justice Department’s Inspector General concluded that there was no evidence of political bias in the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.
Strzok also filed two separate lawsuits against the DOJ, arguing that the release of the texts violated his constitutional rights and that the DOJ’s decision to fire him was politically motivated. Strzok wants to be reinstated to his job so he can retire with full benefits.
News of the settlement first became public in May, prompting House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to press Attorney General Merrick Garland on the proposed deal, asking why the Department of Justice was “reward[ing]” Strzok and page.
“It’s not a question of reward. It’s a matter of the government paying for breaking the law,” Garland said in response.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
