Settlements Reached
Two former FBI officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, settled their lawsuits with the Justice Department on Friday, addressing claims that their privacy rights were violated when their text messages were leaked to the media. These messages disparaged former President Donald Trump.
Financial Details
Peter Strzok, a former top counterintelligence agent involved in the 2016 Russian election interference investigation, settled his case for $1.2 million. Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer who exchanged the texts with Strzok, reached a separate settlement of $800,000, as revealed by court records reviewed by The Associated Press.
Background of the Lawsuit
The lawsuits stemmed from a 2017 incident where Justice Department officials shared text messages between Strzok and Page with reporters. The messages included derogatory comments about Trump, calling him an “idiot” and a “loathsome human,” and expressing fear over the prospect of his victory.
Impact on Careers
Following the release of the texts, Strzok, who also investigated Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, was fired, and Page resigned. Both later sued, claiming that the department leaked the texts to falsely suggest anti-Trump bias within the FBI and to improve its standing with Trump after his repeated attacks on then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Inspector General Findings
Justice Department inspector general reports on the handling of the Clinton email and Trump-Russia investigations found no evidence that partisan bias within the FBI influenced investigative decisions.
