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In July 2016 he signed a document opening the FBI's investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name="CNN changed description"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-strzok-clinton-emails-trump-russia-investigation-mueller-2017-12 |title=Strzok authorized the FBI to launch the Russia investigation |last=Sheth |first=Sonam |date=December 4, 2017 |work=[[Business Insider]] |accessdate=7 December 2017}}</ref> Strzok then led that investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, including an alleged Russian role in the [[2016 Democratic National Committee email leak]].<ref>Levine, Mike. [http://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-agent-removed-russia-probe-played-key-role/story?id=51573419 "FBI agent removed from Russia probe had key role in controversial remarks on Clinton"], [[ABC News]] (December 4, 2017).</ref> He oversaw the bureau's interviews with then-National Security Advisor [[Michael Flynn]], which led to Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.<ref>{{cite news |last=Darrah |first=Nicole |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/04/fbi-agent-fired-from-russia-probe-oversaw-flynn-interviews-changed-comey-memos-on-clinton-charges.html |title=FBI agent fired from Russia probe oversaw Flynn interviews, softened Comey language on Clinton email actions |date=December 4, 2017 |publisher=[[Fox News]] |accessdate=December 5, 2017}}</ref> |
In July 2016 he signed a document opening the FBI's investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections]].<ref name="CNN changed description"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-strzok-clinton-emails-trump-russia-investigation-mueller-2017-12 |title=Strzok authorized the FBI to launch the Russia investigation |last=Sheth |first=Sonam |date=December 4, 2017 |work=[[Business Insider]] |accessdate=7 December 2017}}</ref> Strzok then led that investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, including an alleged Russian role in the [[2016 Democratic National Committee email leak]].<ref>Levine, Mike. [http://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-agent-removed-russia-probe-played-key-role/story?id=51573419 "FBI agent removed from Russia probe had key role in controversial remarks on Clinton"], [[ABC News]] (December 4, 2017).</ref> He oversaw the bureau's interviews with then-National Security Advisor [[Michael Flynn]], which led to Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.<ref>{{cite news |last=Darrah |first=Nicole |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/04/fbi-agent-fired-from-russia-probe-oversaw-flynn-interviews-changed-comey-memos-on-clinton-charges.html |title=FBI agent fired from Russia probe oversaw Flynn interviews, softened Comey language on Clinton email actions |date=December 4, 2017 |publisher=[[Fox News]] |accessdate=December 5, 2017}}</ref> |
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Strzok |
Strzok became the top FBI agent working for [[Robert Mueller]]'s [[special prosecutor|special counsel]] investigation of [[foreign electoral intervention]] by Russia in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.<ref>Barrett, Devlin and Sullivan, Sean. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/republicans-hammer-mueller-fbi-as-russia-investigation-intensifies/2017/12/06/4a6097ca-dabb-11e7-b1a8-62589434a581_story.html?utm_term=.df0e0d6d0f0c "Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (December 6, 2017).</ref><ref>Prokupecz, Shimon. [http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/13/politics/peter-strzok-special-counsel-russia-fbi/index.html "Special counsel brings on FBI official who oversaw Clinton email investigation"], [[CNN]] (July 13, 2017).</ref> |
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===Removal from Mueller investigation=== |
===Removal from Mueller investigation=== |
Revision as of 01:36, 13 December 2017
Peter P. Strzok II[1] (born c. 1970[2]) (pronounced "struck"[3]) has served as a Deputy Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),[4] and second in command of counterintelligence.[5][6] He also has reportedly served as chief of counterintelligence at the FBI.[7][8][9][10]
Strzok was lead investigator in several high profile FBI investigations, including Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server, and allegations of collusion with Russians in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. Subsequently, he joined the 2017 Special Counsel investigation but was later removed.
Education and career
After high school in Minnesota,[11] Strzok graduated from Georgetown University in 1991, and in 2013 received a master's degree there.[12] Strzok was an officer in the U.S. Army and then an intelligence research specialist in the FBI.[9]
He has worked at the FBI since the 1990s, and is "considered one of the most experienced and trusted FBI counterintelligence investigators" according to The New York Times.[13] He is also "considered to be one of the Bureau's top experts on Russia" according to CNN.[6] Strzok served as the deputy head of FBI counter-intelligence,[5] and worked on secret matters of espionage involving China and Russia.[9]
Lead investigator on high-profile cases
Starting on July 10, 2015, Strzok led a team of a dozen investigators to examine Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.[14] During the investigation, Strzok changed then-FBI Director James Comey's draft language describing Clinton's actions as "grossly negligent" (which may be a criminal offense) to "extremely careless".[6] Strzok and his team helped review newly discovered Clinton emails days before Election Day.[14]
In July 2016 he signed a document opening the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[6][15] Strzok then led that investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, including an alleged Russian role in the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak.[16] He oversaw the bureau's interviews with then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, which led to Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.[17]
Strzok became the top FBI agent working for Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation of foreign electoral intervention by Russia in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[18][19]
Removal from Mueller investigation
In late July 2017, Strzok was removed from Mueller's team and moved to a human resources position at the agency after reports of text messages transmitted between Strzok and Lisa Page, who worked at the FBI for Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. The text messages were anti-Donald Trump in nature,[20][21] and also contained personal information concerning to the Justice Department.[4] Strzok's departure from Mueller's staff came a week after they executed a search warrant at the home of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, and his departure was the first known hitch in Mueller's probe.[22][23]
According to Strzok's colleagues and a former Trump administration official, Strzok had not previously shown any overt political bias.[2][20] An associate of his says the political parts of the text messages were especially related to Trump's criticism of the FBI’s investigation of the Clinton emails.[2] Page was assigned to Mueller's investigation as a trial attorney until she left around the same time he did.[24][25]
Defenders of Strzok and Page in the FBI said that no professional misconduct between them occurred.[20] Several agents said that Mueller removed Strzok in order to protect the integrity of the special counsel's Russia investigation.[26] Strzok was not punished following his reassignment.[27]
Subject of ongoing investigation
Michael E. Horowitz, the Inspector General (IG) of the Justice Department, has an ongoing probe into how the FBI handled the high profile investigations.[13][28] Fox News reported that a source close to the probe says it will examine Strzok's participation in various other politically sensitive matters, and that the proble should be done by "very early next year."[29] The IG's probe began in January 2017, and Horowitz expects to issue a report in March or April of 2018 at the latest.[13]
Meanwhile, the Justice Department (DOJ) has agreed to allow the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to interview Strzok.[30] They have also agreed to give that committee the more than 10,000 text messages between Strzok and Page once they are redacted.[31]
Former FBI and DOJ officials emphasize that it is normal for agents to have political views yet still conduct impartial investigations. They add that in a complex investigation involving many officials, like those that Strzok participated in, it is unlikely that one person could alter the outcome.[32]
Personal life
Strzok is married to Melissa Hodgman, who became an associate director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in October 2016.[33][34][35] His father worked for many years as an employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and after 1980 worked in villages of several West African countries.[36]
References
- ^ "Fairfax Home Sales", The Washington Post (January 8, 2004): "to Peter P. Strzok II and Melissa R. Hodgman".
- ^ a b c Wilber, Del Quentin; Sonne, Paul (December 3, 2017). "FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Had Key Role in Clinton Email Investigation". The Wall Street Journal.
Peter Strzok, 47 years old, was one of the highest-ranking agents at the bureau and was considered one of its most experienced counterintelligence experts.
- ^ Browne, Pamela. "Fired FBI official at center of Flynn, Clinton, dossier controversies revealed", Fox News (December 2, 2017).
- ^ a b Bertrand, Natasha. “'He was thrown to the wolves': Former FBI agents defend Mueller team investigator at the center of controversy”, Business Insider (December 9, 2017).
- ^ a b "Mueller removed FBI agent from Russia probe for anti-Trump texts: reports"., Reuters (December 2, 2017).
- ^ a b c d Jarrett, Laura; Perez, Evan (December 4, 2017). "FBI agent dismissed from Mueller probe changed Comey description of Clinton". CNN. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
- ^ Hosenball, Alex. "Special counsel Robert Mueller has assembled a team of 16 seasoned prosecutors", ABC News (September 29, 2017).
- ^ Doering, Christopher. "Thieves see ag trade secrets as ripe for picking", Des Moines Register (March 7, 2016).
- ^ a b c Bertrand, Natasha (August 16, 2017). "A top FBI investigator has unexpectedly stepped away from special counsel Mueller's Russia probe". Business Insider. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Price, Greg. "Will Trump Fire Mueller? Democrats Want to Protect Special Counsel Amid FBI Bias Cries", Newsweek (December 6, 2017).
- ^ St. Cloud Times, p. 38 (May 15, 1987).
- ^ "$25K GUAA Participation Challenge", Georgetown University, accessed November 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c Schmidt, Michael et al. "Mueller Removed Top Agent in Russia Inquiry Over Possible Anti-Trump Texts", The New York Times (December 2, 2017).
- ^ a b Schmidt, Michael S.; Goldman, Adam; Lichtblau, Eric (April 22, 2017). "Comey Tried to Shield the F.B.I. From Politics. Then He Shaped an Election". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Sheth, Sonam (December 4, 2017). "Strzok authorized the FBI to launch the Russia investigation". Business Insider. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ Levine, Mike. "FBI agent removed from Russia probe had key role in controversial remarks on Clinton", ABC News (December 4, 2017).
- ^ Darrah, Nicole (December 4, 2017). "FBI agent fired from Russia probe oversaw Flynn interviews, softened Comey language on Clinton email actions". Fox News. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Barrett, Devlin and Sullivan, Sean. "Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies", The Washington Post (December 6, 2017).
- ^ Prokupecz, Shimon. "Special counsel brings on FBI official who oversaw Clinton email investigation", CNN (July 13, 2017).
- ^ a b c Demirjian, Karoun; Barrett, Devlin (December 2, 2017). "Top FBI official assigned to Mueller's Russia probe said to have been removed after sending anti-Trump texts". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ^ Perez, Evan (December 4, 2017). "FBI agent removed from Mueller investigation". CNN. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ Levine, Mike. "Special counsel's Russia probe loses top FBI investigator", ABC News (August 16, 2017): "The recent departure of the FBI veteran, Peter Strzok, is the first known hitch in a secretive probe that, by all public accounts, is charging full steam ahead. Just last week, news surfaced that Mueller's team had executed a search warrant at the Virginia home of Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort."
- ^ Uchill, Joe. "High-ranking FBI official leaves Russia probe", The Hill (August 16, 2017): "The move comes as Mueller's investigation has appeared to accelerate in pace. Near the end of July, agents served the former head of the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort, with a search warrant for his Virginia home."
- ^ Griffiths, Brent (December 2, 2017). "Top FBI agent was removed from Russia probe over allegations he made anti-Trump statements". Politico.
- ^ Levine, Mike; Thomas, Pierre (September 28, 2017). "Special counsel's Russia investigation team loses 2nd FBI veteran". ABC News. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Wilber, Del Quentin (December 2, 2017). "Mueller Reassigned Top Aide on Russia Probe After Anti-Trump Texts". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Graham, David. "The Strange Tale of Peter Strzok", The Atlantic (December 7, 2017): “Wray said during testimony to the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that although he had been reassigned, Strzok had not been punished”.
- ^ Kutner, Max (December 2, 2017). "Why Mueller threw an agent off the Trump-Russia probe". Newsweek. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ^ Darrah, Nicole (December 5, 2017). "FBI agent fired from Russia probe oversaw Flynn interviews, softened Comey language on Clinton email actions". Fox News.
- ^ Jarrett, Laura. "Justice Dept. offers up key witness in Russia probe as House Intel Chair threatens contempt", CNN (December 4, 2017).
- ^ Gibson, Jake. "'Over 10,000 texts' between ex-Mueller team officials found, after discovery of anti-Trump messages", Fox News (December 6, 2017).
- ^ Williams, Katie. “FBI agent becomes GOP public enemy No. 1”, The Hill (December 12, 2017).
- ^ Bucher, Chris (December 2, 2017). "Peter Strzok & Lisa Page: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Fonrouge, Gabrielle and Schultz, Marisa. "Feds eye anti-Trump FBI agent over shady moves in Hillary email probe", New York Post (December 5, 2017).
- ^ Democrat and Chronicle, p. 10 (November 17, 2010).
- ^ Strzok, Peter. "Peter P. Strzok: 50-year difference in Iran", Fayetteville Observer (September 3, 2016).