Justice Dept. settles with ex-FBI officials Strzok, Page over anti-Trump text leak

Strzok and Page said they were illegally targeted for retribution by the Trump administration after the FBI investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Strzok, a former top counter-intelligence expert, was fired by the FBI in 2018 after news reports surfaced of his politically charged text messages with Page, in which the pair were criticizing Donald Trump while they were having an affair.

“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” lead Strzok attorney Aitan D. Goelman said in a statement. Goelman said Strzok will continue to seek reinstatement and backpay in ongoing litigation over claims that removing him from the FBI violated his free speech and due process rights. “We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that, in the future, public servants are protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics,” Goelman said.

In a statement released by her attorneys, Page said, “While I have been vindicated by this result, my fervent hope remains that our institutions of justice will never again play politics with the lives of their employees.”

Page’s Arnold & Porter law firm team, led by Amy Jeffress, added, “As Attorney General [Merrick] Garland recently testified in response to questions about this settlement, the Department settles cases based on the litigators’ assessment of the chances of success and the potential costs of losing the case. Here, the evidence was overwhelming that the release of text messages to the press in December 2017 was for partisan political purposes and was against the law. As the Attorney General explained: ‘It’s a question of the government paying for violating the law.’”

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment outside of court filings.

This is a developing story and will be updated.