Trump fired Peter Strzok. Now Biden is defending that decision
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 2 years ago • 74 commentsBy: President Trump (Washington Examiner)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
TRUMP FIRED PETER STRZOK. NOW BIDEN IS DEFENDING THAT DECISION. There have been endless news reports about the Biden Justice Department's pursuit of former President Donald Trump. There is, of course, the Mar-a-Lago classified documents affair. There is the Jan. 6 investigation. And lately, there have been reports that the department is also investigating some unspecified aspect of Trump's post-presidential fundraising.
So the current president's Justice Department is clearly going after his predecessor. That raises some interesting issues and precedents. But there is at least one case — it hasn't received a lot of attention — in which the Biden DOJ is defending a Trump decision. And the department has just released documents in a lawsuit that shed new light on one of the department's worst moments of the Trump era.
The case is Strzok v. Garland et al. The "Garland" is Attorney General Merrick Garland. The "Strzok" is Peter Strzok, the disgraced former FBI agent who was fired for his blatant anti-Trump bias during the Trump-Russia investigation. In August 2019, Strzok filed suit against the Justice Department — the case was then known as Strzok v. Barr et al — alleging that he had been wrongfully terminated. "The decision to fire Special Agent Strzok in violation of his constitutional rights was the result of a long and public campaign by President Trump and his allies to vilify Strzok and pressure the [FBI] to terminate him," the lawsuit said.
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The Justice Department responded that Strzok had demonstrated unacceptably bad judgment in his Trump-hating text conversations with another FBI official, his extramarital girlfriend Lisa Page. This is part of the department's response, from November 2019, noting that Strzok was so determined to bring down Trump that he decided that doing so was worth giving up a possible promotion:
A Department of Justice Office of Inspector General investigation found that [Strzok] had exchanged over 40,000 texts with [Page] on their government-issued phones, among them texts written in 2016 in which [Strzok] called the president — at that time, still a candidate for president — a "disaster" and suggested that "we'll stop" him from taking office. And in a text he wrote in 2017 — after the president had taken office and during [Strzok's] tenure as lead investigator for Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team — [Strzok] described his own "sense of unfinished business." As he wrote to [Page] in that text: "I unleashed it with [the Clinton email investigation]. Now I need to fix it and finish it. ... Who gives a f***, one more [assistant director] ... [versus] an investigation leading to impeachment?"
The lawsuit dragged on through the end of the Trump administration. Strzok v. Barr became Strzok v. Garland. With the change, the Biden Justice Department could have dropped its opposition to Strzok on the grounds that he was mistreated by the bad old Trump administration. Instead, the department is, so far, defending the decision to fire Strzok, just as it did when Trump was in office.
The news today is that in a new court filing, the Justice Department made public an extraordinary letter, actually a draft of an extraordinary letter, that a top FBI official wrote to Strzok confirming Strzok's firing. The FBI official who fired Strzok was Deputy Director David Bowdich. When Strzok appealed his dismissal, as was his right, Bowdich reviewed the evidence again. In an Aug. 8, 2018, letter, just released as part of the lawsuit, Bowdich told Strzok that he, Bowdich, had taken another look at the assessments of the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility and all the relevant evidence. Bowdich's decision was that the decision to fire was justified.
"It is difficult to fathom the repeated, sustained errors of judgment you made while serving as the lead agent in two of the most high profile investigations in the country," Bowdich wrote in the draft. "Your sustained pattern of bad judgment in the use of an FBI device has called into question for many the decisions made during both the Clinton email investigation and the initial stages of the Russian collusion investigation. In short, your repeated selfishness has called into question the credibility of the entire FBI."
There was more. "In my 23 years in the FBI, I have not seen a more impactful series of missteps which called into question the entire organization and more thoroughly damaged the reputation of the organization," Bowdich continued. "In our role as FBI employees we sometimes make unpopular decisions, but the public should be able to examine our work and not have to question our motives." Bowdich concluded that Strzok had inflicted an "extremely damaging impact to the [FBI], which will take years to overcome."
Bowdich has been deposed as part of the lawsuit. In court papers, the Justice Department included part of what Bowdich said in that deposition:
I looked at those texts over and over and over again, and I was seeing the damage that it was doing to our organization. We had new agent classes coming in on a regular basis, and when FBI agents come into Quantico, it is made crystal clear, crystal clear to them, check your political beliefs at the door. Check your biases at the door. Objectivity is 100% important as an investigative organization. That is something you are taught from the time you are an infant entering the organization. So, I am taking all — all the noise, all that stuff, I try to clear that out completely and really focus on, What is the message that we are sending internally across the board? Because this isn't a ... brand new agent. This is a deputy assistant director with ... 20 years of experience, extensive experience in counterintelligence, of all things.
Trump constantly complains about the way he was treated during the Russia investigation. He also complains about the 2020 election. He repeatedly attacks leaders like Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). There are many other grievances. Sometimes, it is tempting to dismiss all of Trump's complaints as sour grapes. But as far as the Russia investigation is concerned, it is important to remember that the FBI relentlessly pursued Trump starting even before he took office. Special counsel Robert Mueller, for whom Strzok worked before his texts were discovered, knew early on that investigators could not establish that any conspiracy or coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign ever occurred. Yet Mueller allowed the investigation to go for another year and a half, meaning the president was under a constant shadow in the Russia matter even though investigators could never determine that a crime had even occurred. That, plus the leaks that happened nearly every day, did enormous damage to the new Trump presidency.
So it is good to remember what the FBI did. Strzok v. Garland is helping us do that.
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"It is difficult to fathom the repeated, sustained errors of judgment you made while serving as the lead agent in two of the most high profile investigations in the country," Bowdich wrote in the draft. "Your sustained pattern of bad judgment in the use of an FBI device has called into question for many the decisions made during both the Clinton email investigation and the initial stages of the Russian collusion investigation. In short, your repeated selfishness has called into question the credibility of the entire FBI."
There was more. "In my 23 years in the FBI, I have not seen a more impactful series of missteps which called into question the entire organization and more thoroughly damaged the reputation of the organization," Bowdich continued. "In our role as FBI employees we sometimes make unpopular decisions, but the public should be able to examine our work and not have to question our motives." Bowdich concluded that Strzok had inflicted an "extremely damaging impact to the [FBI], which will take years to overcome."
It's insane that Democrats don't understand how much damage was done to the fabric of this country by this partisan investigation that found nothing on Trump but destroyed the reputation of the FBI as a non political law enforcement agency. And Garland, of course, is digging the hole even deeper. .
I think Trump brought out the worst in them. They couldn't help themselves.
Whatever you believe it is, it pales in comparison to the damage Trumpism has done.
The FBI was one of the investigating agencies for the Mueller Report. To say the Mueller Report didnt "find anything " on Trump is absurd.
We go round and round on this insane right wing merry go round of allegations about the FBI. Next you'll be calling for Durham Investigation Redux.
Not a single member of the Trump campaign was charged with illegally interfering in the election. Not one.
And they didn't even get fined for conspiring to hide the money they paid a spy to get information from Russians to use against their opponent like Clinton did. But tell me again how terrible it was for the Trump campaign to be willing to receive opposition research from Russians
So they have a "suspect" but no crime.
And the fact that the FBI continues with partisan garbage isn't helping rebuild their credibility.
A fact many on the left seem to be either ignorant of or refuse to acknowledge.
Ufortunately, the FBI is above the law.
And following in step with the Democrats. I don't see it ending well.
There is currently a lawsuit vs the FBI for concealing their deal with social media.
You're referring to the one about censoring information on the computer right? Just seeded it.
Correct.
Nope.
"I looked at those texts over and over and over again, and I was seeing the damage that it was doing to our organization. We had new agent classes coming in on a regular basis, and when FBI agents come into Quantico, it is made crystal clear, crystal clear to them, check your political beliefs at the door. Check your biases at the door. Objectivity is 100% important as an investigative organization. That is something you are taught from the time you are an infant entering the organization. So, I am taking all — all the noise, all that stuff, I try to clear that out completely and really focus on, What is the message that we are sending internally across the board? Because this isn't a ... brand new agent. This is a deputy assistant director with ... 20 years of experience, extensive experience in counterintelligence, of all things."
It seems these lofty goals no longer apply during the Biden era.
The FBI will really lose it's credibility when Republicans take over committees in one year.
I'm ready for it.
Absurd.
You're correct. It is absurd. Their credibility is already gone.
“Absurd.”
Particularly coming from the party and their partisans who tout ‘law and order’ as one of the pillars of their platform.
If it is a one-way street, it is a dead-end.
Your taste in rum sucks just like your 'leaders'
How so?
Can you tell the difference between Baccardi and Captain Morgan?
Anyone who believes in Law & Order" has to hate the FBI.
This is the only thing that she's posted in several months that I agree with. Your taste in rum does indeed suck. There are such better rums on the market, cannot see why you would be willing to drink such swill.
Try 'Kaniche Reserve' or 'Stades', better tasting rum for the same price. For a bit more maybe 'Flor de Cana 18yo', it's a really great sipping rum.
Easily, but their both horrible IMO.
You make valid points and I know that some of the Rums you mention are top shelf.
Do you know why I only drink Baccardi?
That was a family company.....one that fled Cuba and Castro.
“Anyone who believes in Law & Order" has to hate the FBI.”
Only to those with an axe to grind.
I can understand supporting the company because of that, but I still cannot drink their product. It just doesn't have a good taste to me and for me the taste is what it's all about.
You don't have to talk around me.
There is no Law & Order without equal justice.
I hear you on that. Now you are going to make me take the step up!
Just so you don't misunderstand. I wasn't talking around you. I was responding directly to Vic but it was your post that started the conversation around rum.
You should be careful however, without caution it can become an obsession. I have a very bad habit of going into liquor stores just to see what they have that is new and looks interesting. And that's why at one point I ended up with 11 bottles of bourbon, 17 bottles of scotch, 9 bottles of rum and 5 bottles of gin. All different types... It got a bit out of hand, especially as I only have maybe a couple of drinks a week. Now that I'm retired and living on my savings and investments, that activity will need to stop. Oh I'll still go in to review what's new and interesting, but I won't have that many different bottles at any given time.
I've managed to hold it down to a roar. I'm not really supposed to have it. I only have it on Saturday nights now. Switching brands now and then is no big deal. I could live without it. As a matter of fact, I think I can now live without most things. That's the good part of getting old.
“There is no Law & Order without equal justice.”
Speaking for the ‘BLM’ movement now, vic? Good on you for recognizing the discrepancies and acknowledging the same.
The BLM movement was a beneficiary. They also seem to be above the law.
I dont go by what conspiracy nuts believe.
You did when they were claiming collusion.
The Trump campaign did collude with Russians, just not in the way Christopher Steele believed.
We have been over this at least a dozen times already.
Bullshit. Provide proof of this "collusion". The FBI sure as shit couldn't prove it. Even with manufactured evidence.
Yet you are still espousing the same BS. Find some new material already.
If the FBI had anything on Trump; then Garland would have already indicted him.
And you have been wrong every time. I think everyone who still believes the Clinton lie is right here on NT.
Technically the Trump campaign only welcomed Russian help, hoped for promised dirt on their opponent and shared highly sensitive polling data with a Russian agent and then half a dozen of them lied to investigators about their contact with Russian agents. The investigation was unable to prove the contact rose to the level of criminal conspiracy but there was definitely cooperation.
According to the posted article -
Or are you expecting us to go off your conspiracy theories?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've made the unfounded claims ad nauseum.
talk about conspiracy theories! why would anyone still believe collusion when the Great Mueller could not prove it and he was looking specifically for it?
Donald Trump Jr met with Russians ( who he was told were representatives of the Russian government) at Trump Tower for the expressed purpose of getting dirt on Hillary Clinton from them.
That is collusion any day of the week.
Mueller said he could not prosecute it because Don Jr was too stupid to know that what he was doing was a crime.
Mueller tried to be far to precise, because he was a by-the-book prosecutor who wanted to stay within all the lines.
The Jun 9th meeting at Trump Tower was collusion by any common sense definition of the term. So was what Manafort was doing. So was what Roger Stone was doing when he was trying to get a heads up from the Russians (on when more damaging Clinton and John Podesta emails would be released, via Julian Assange). So was Trump asking Russia to hack Hillary Clinton and then them trying to do it the same night.
So under YOUR premise, the Clinton campaign is guilty of it as well. Or did you forget the whole source of the collusion hoax started with that campaign?
Has Adam Schiff finally submitted and released his clear evidence that he said he had 6 years ago?
He can’t, Eric Swalwells Chinese spy girl friend stole it.
"Donald Trump Jr met with Russians ( who he was told were representatives of the Russian government) at Trump Tower for the expressed purpose of getting dirt on Hillary Clinton from them."
No proof whatsoever!
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It was certainly attempted collusion but because a deal was never made Republicans act like it never happened.
Clearly Manafort was a serious counterintelligence threat and gave a Russian agent sensitive polling data for the election during the campaign and then lied to investigators, but sadly they were never able to prove Trump promised anything to the Russians in return for their illegal hacking and public release of embarrassing Democratic party emails and the millions they spent on fake domestic social media ads.
So really it all comes down to not being able to prove Trump or his campaign ever gave anything of substantial value to Putin in return for the election meddling. And in this case I believe the reason for that is that Putin made the investment in Trump to destabilize western democracy, to undermine faith in our elections and to embarrass our nation by helping put an incompetent moron in charge that Putin knew he could later easily manipulate, and Putin got what he wanted. There was no need for Trump to make any promises to Putin to return the favor, Putin got exactly what he wanted, he played the gullible rightwing morons into supporting his 'strong man' authoritarianism and lowered Americas standing and influence around the world.
What was Hillary then? Or is paying Steele indirectly to gain dirt from less than accurate Russian sources on Trump; and then using her contacts to pass it off as real to the FBI/DOJ now considered legal?
Reality of Hillary breaking the law vs the fiction of Trump Collusion (produced by Hillary and the FBI).
When did that happen?
no, they'll tell you it was Rubio who hired Richard Steele. It's the lie that never ends.
"Russia if you're listening.."
On live national TV.
Yawn. No collusion.
Didn't the Great Mueller say he could not find any evidence of collusion and would not recommend any indictments for same?
And he was Trump's campaign manager at the time. But there was no connection between the Trump campaign and Russia? It is a ludicrous position.
Mueller tried to be far to precise, because he was a by-the-book prosecutor who wanted to stay within all the lines.
Then why was there no prosecution of Trump?
Then why did he repeatedly state that he "didn't remember" many things or that other things were not within his "purview"? I watched his entire testimony and actually felt sorry for his painful lack of memory, facts, and knowledge about the department that he led.
A dream state creates some unusual, often wishful, scenarios.
Sitting here eating popcorn waiting for some idiot to bleat "Helsinki".
... that just happened. bon appetit
My favorite conspiracy theory, Trump was asking Russia to hack Hillary Clinton when he said, Russia, i hope you can find Hillay's 30,000 emails.
To the low functioning that still believe this, The Clinton server had been in FBI custody for almost a year when he said this and was unplugged in an evidence vault. You have to be a complete moron to believe that was what he was asking. more likely than not the russians had already hacked the stupid bitches server and trump was just highlighting that fact!
You found a typo! Good for you!
you fixed it! kudos!
Of course, do you proof read for everyone? I didn’t realize that was a service the site offered.
No but what he does do is post stupid ass videos on a part of NT that no one goes and no one sees his videos.
Or the one asking would have to be a complete moron...
When asked what the FBI were looking for at Mar-a-Lago Trump said "I think they were looking for Hillary Clinton's emails."
So I guess that checks out, the one asking Russia to find Hillary's emails is a fucking moron.
I agree he is a moron, along with the idiots who think he was asking Russia to hack hillary.
"Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing."
So, was he publicly asking Russia to check their garbage bins for the emails? Was he asking them to look under their beds for the emails?
You have admitted he is a moron on the highest order, why wouldn't it be possible that he had no actual clue as to what a server is let alone that it was in FBI custody and thus likely un-hackable?
He was openly asking Russia to use their hacking skills, that he already knew had hacked the DNC emails which helped his campaign greatly and were timely released the day the Access Hollywood tape was released, to find the missing emails wherever they might be.
So yes, he's a moron and yes, I believe he is stupid enough to think the Russian's might have been able to help his campaign by hacking US servers and digging up dirt on Hillary.
Also, why would any patriotic American, who believed the missing Hillary emails contained classified US government information which was the rightwing conservative Republican narrative at the time, ask an enemy foreign government to "find" them? Of course, the answer was that Trump is the least patriotic American on the planet and thinks only of himself and would have shoved his own grandmother in front of a bus if it helped him win the Presidency. We've seen now how much he actually cares about top secret documents.
I love it. Those that believed that conspiracy theory trying to spin your comment.
No, not a complete moron. But you do have to have that special ability to suspend reality and think the world can't see what is actually there.
George, Donald Trump doesnt concern himself with mere details such as where the Clinton server actually was. He is a results oriented guy.
One of the more laughable defenses of Trump in 2016 was/is the claim that he was "joking" when he asked Russia to find Hillary's emails. Although it was obvious at the time he wasnt joking (Trump doesnt joke about things like that) , nor did the Russians think he was joking (they tried to hack Hillary that night), but there is better evidence than that that it was no joke.
The Zelensky phone call and Trumps 2022 comments directed at Putin both prove rather conclusively that Trump wants foreign entities to help him win elections.
Do you see the pattern yet George? 2016 asks Russia to help him against his political opponent, 2019 he asks Ukraine to help him against his political oppponent, 2022 he again asks Russia (Putin) to produce dirt on his political opponent. [deleted]
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The FBI has a long row to hoe if it ever hopes to regain any semblance of trust and credibility again.
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