Current:Home > NewsTwo ex-FBI officials who traded anti-Trump texts close to settlement over alleged privacy violations -Excel Wealth Summit
Two ex-FBI officials who traded anti-Trump texts close to settlement over alleged privacy violations
View
Date:2025-04-12 16:27:30
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI officials have reached a tentative settlement with the Justice Department to resolve claims that their privacy was violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump.
The tentative deal was disclosed in a brief court filing Tuesday that did not reveal any of the terms.
Peter Strzok, a former top FBI counterintelligence agent who helped lead the bureau’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was fired in 2018 after the anti-Trump text messages came to light. Lisa Page, a former FBI lawyer, voluntarily resigned that same year.
They alleged in federal lawsuits filed in the District of Columbia that the Justice Department infringed on their privacy rights when officials, in December 2017, shared copies of their communication with reporters — including messages that described Trump as an “idiot” and a ”loathsome human” and that called the prospect of a Trump victory “terrifying.”
Strzok also sued the department over his termination, alleging that the FBI caved to “unrelenting pressure” from Trump when it fired him and that his First Amendment rights were violated. Those constitutional claims have not been resolved by the tentative settlement, according to the court notice.
Trump, who publicly championed Strzok’s firing and accused him of treason, was questioned under oath last year as part of the long-running litigation.
The text messages were discovered by the Justice Department inspector general’s office as it scrutinized the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state.
Strzok was a lead agent in that probe as well, and he notes in his lawsuit that the inspector general found no evidence that political bias tainted the email investigation. Even so, the text messages resulted in Strzok being removed from the special counsel team conducting the Trump-Russia investigation and helped drive criticism by Trump that the inquiry was a politically motivated “witch hunt.”
The inspector general identified numerous flaws with that probe but did not find find evidence that any of those problems could be attributed to partisan bias.
Lawyers for Strzok and Page declined to comment Tuesday night. A Justice Department spokesman also declined to comment, but the department has previously said that officials determined that it was permissible to share with the media text messages that were also disclosed to members of Congress.
veryGood! (9256)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- A minivan explodes in Kabul, killing at least 3 civilians and wounding 4 others
- Bottled water contains up to 100 times more plastic than previously estimated, new study says
- Ex-Green Beret stands with Venezuelan coup plotter ahead of U.S. sentencing on terror charges
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Bonuses for college football coaches soar to new heights; Harbaugh sets record with haul
- Barry Keoghan Details His Battle With Near-Fatal Flesh-Eating Disease
- Ex-Green Beret stands with Venezuelan coup plotter ahead of U.S. sentencing on terror charges
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Former President Clinton, House members mourn former Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson at funeral
Ranking
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. files restraining order against school following suspension
- When is Valentine's Day? How the holiday became a celebration of love (and gifts).
- Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes, coroner says
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Rays shortstop Wander Franco faces lesser charge as judge analyzes evidence in ongoing probe
- Timeline: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization
- Congo’s constitutional court upholds election results, declares President Tshisekedi the winner
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Marin Alsop to become Philadelphia Orchestra’s principal guest conductor next season
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Share Update on Merging Their Families Amid Romance
Microsoft’s OpenAI investment could trigger EU merger review
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Mel Brooks, Angela Bassett to get honorary Oscars at starry, untelevised event
'The Mandalorian' is coming to theaters: What we know about new 'Star Wars' movie
When will the IRS accept 2024 returns? Here's when you can start filing your taxes.