FBI agent Peter Strzok fired over anti-Trump texts

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

FBI agent Peter Strzok fired over anti-Trump texts

By Matt Zapotosky August 13 at 11:00 AM Email the author

The FBI has fired Agent Peter Strzok, who helped lead the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election until officials discovered he had been sending anti-Trump texts.

Aitan Goelman, Strzok's lawyer, said FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich ordered the firing on Friday -- even though the director of the FBI office that normally handles employee discipline had decided Strzok should face only a demotion and 60-day suspension. Goelman said the move undercuts the FBI's repeated assurances that Strzok would be afforded the normal disciplinary process. ... "This isn't the normal process in any way more than name," Goelman said. ... The FBI declined to comment.

The termination marks a remarkable downfall for Strzok, a 22-year veteran of the bureau who investigated Russian spies, defense officials accused of selling secrets to China and myriad other important cases. In the twilight of his career, Strzok was integral to two of the bureau's most high-profile investigations: the Russia case, and the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state.
....

At a Congressional hearing earlier this month, Strzok sparred with Republican lawmakers who raised questions about his character and even his marriage. He asserted there was "no evidence of bias in my professional actions" and that his having to testify was "just another victory notch in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's belt and another milestone in our enemies' campaign to tear America apart."
....

Matt Zapotosky covers the Justice Department for The Washington Post's national security team. He has previously worked covering the federal courthouse in Alexandria and local law enforcement in Prince George's County and Southern Maryland. Follow https://twitter.com/mattzap

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-agent-peter-strzok-fired-over-anti-trump-texts/2018/08/13/be98f84c-8e8b-11e8-b769-e3fff17f0689_story.html

---

Breaking: FBI's Peter Strzok, fired over anti-Trump texts, is 3rd prominent FBI official ousted in political fight over Clinton, Russia probes

Link to tweet

Strzok's lawyer said FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich ordered the firing on Friday -- even though the director of the FBI office that normally handles employee discipline had decided Strzok should face only a demotion and 60-day suspension

Link to tweet

- - - - -

My apologies to people who are unable to read the Washington Post online. There are many paragraphs that I'd like to cut and paste, but I have to limit myself to no more than four.

[Zorro]

1. Retaliation pure and simple

This action will end up in court.

[djacq]

3. Another wrongful termination

Andrew McCabe has company.

[Leghorn21]

14. Absolutely, d. Mr. McCabe was targeted from the get-go, because Red Don with a doubt knew

exactly who he was -

“I have been an FBI Special Agent for over 21 years. I spent half of that time investigating Russian Organized Crime as a street agent and Supervisor in New York City.”
- Mr. McCabes’s statement upon being fired

I am not familiar with Mr. Strzok’s exact whereabouts while he was chasing RUSSIAN FUCKING SPIES FFS, but yeah, let us keep the faith that the treachery oozing from this orange puppet will indeed one fine day be called out. And punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Uck, this is awful

[olegramps]

49. It makes me want to vomit. What is happening to our nation?

Trump has welcomed the angel of evil, abomination and mayhem on the nation. The office of the presidency rather than being the island of justice has been transformed into the inferno of hell. Lies Masquerade as Truth, Greed as Generosity, Hated as Love, Treason as Patriotism, Fascism and Democracy, Propaganda as Education, Imprisonment ad Freedom, Ethnic Cleansings as Purity.

Welcome to the rebirth of the Fascist State. Something straight out of the depths of hell.

[olegramps]

50. Is it time to revolt yet? That is a peaceful revolt. Hey, I am runnin out of time.

[Sancho]

2. Another tell-all book on the way???

[at140]

4. Write a book, Peter!

and expose the fake president for all its worth.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. I think we've found that witch hunt that Trump has been whining about.

[dalton99a]

6. Sure enough

[berni_mccoy]

7. They fired the guy who has nailed MANY Russian Spies. Don't forget that point.

[MattP]

8. 22 years hell of a way to go glad he wasn't short of his pension

[nil desperandum]

23. According to the NY Times

both McCabe and Strzok were terminated before being eligible for their pensions and health benefits. So it would seem they get zero from the Feds for their service to date.

[yallerdawg]

9. Embellishing his resume?

Sounds like we have the future FBI Director the Dotard has been looking for.

[peekaloo]

10. No victory tweet from Hair Furor????

get the cretins a hoppin'

[at140]

13. He is still in bed?

Or charging his Blackberry?

[peekaloo]

17. Welcome to DU

[at140]

18. hey Peekaloo...

[Iliyah]

21. t-rump could be pre -

occupied with Omarosa. Apparently she's got on tape confirmation of him saying some fucked up shit. Actually his whole ugly WH staffers and gawd knows who else may have him on tape. Dumbass.

[edbermac]

35. Yes he did. Two in fact.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[peekaloo]

38. Took him an hour to respond. He must be worn out from pulling that biker Trump Train.

Or the current "Mutter in the Gutter" between himself and his former employee.

Or perhaps he's in a different time zone.

[LiberalLovinLug]

43. So....another FBI agent fired

yet.....the list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer?

How does that work?

[geardaddy]

42. Hair Furor!

LOL I'm stealing that one!

[Corgigal]

11. It's illegal for federal workers

to have a personal political opinion? More lawsuits funded by the taxpayers.

The NYC FBI should be worried.

[TimeToGo]

15. Exactly

Those rogue agents who were working with Rudy should start looking for a new job.

[at140]

16. Personal texts gets you fired?

Did Strozk take any actions which broke FBI regulations?
If not, it was just informal texts with his paramour.

[elleng]

25. No.

Yes, that's what he's contended (I think.)

[at140]

30. Go fund me link for Strzok...

https://www.gofundme.com/peterstrzok

[jmbar2]

40. Thanks for this link! -Just contributed

They only get rid of the ones who know where the bodies are buried. No doubt it comes from the top - Putin. Perhaps getting fired will protect him. I wish him well.

[24601]

32. Of course we can have personal opinions. We can even expresss them providing we comply with the

Hatch Act.

Office Of Special Guidelines are here for most employees: https://osc.gov/Resources/HA%20Poster%20Lesser%20Restricted%202016.pdf

And Here for "Further Restricted" employees, which includes the FBI:
https://osc.gov/Resources/HA%20Poster%20Further%20Restricted%202.2.18.pdf


This is noted verbatim as permitted: "May express opinions about partisan groups and candidates in partisan elections while not at work or using official authority."


In addition to his texts while on duty, likely there were other issues regarding aceptable use of government communications equipment that were not specific to the Hatch Act.

[empedocles]

12. Should read 'Sessions fires Strzok'

[SWBTATTReg]

19. This is so wrong and is sending a signal that rump and the like will regret later...

when people are fired for retaliation like this, this agent simply expressing a personal opinion and who has stated in sworn testimony that it wouldn't affect the performance of his job duties, this will come back to bite this administration in spades...

Should a serious problem arise w/ the doing of a task critical to the rump agenda, no one will step forward to let all know of this issue/problem until way too late, and the administration is buried up to its eyeballs in it (and the rest of us in the real world are suffering for it);

People chat back and forth all of the time, now this discourse/method of communications has been chilled enormously and will stifle the flow of information;

I also feel like this is solely an act of political revenge and this is the worst thing of all...jobs in the federal government / any government are supposed to be apolitical. They are not, as one can tell from the rabid mutterings of the republican nuts that seem to spring out of the government...it seems like the only criteria that this party is enforcing is 'the more nuts something that you say is, the more qualified for office you are'.

Politics has become the new TV show of modern day reality. Unfortunately, ALL people need to realize that this is real life, that real people are impacted, etc. When I mention 'ALL' people, DU folks from the numerous discussions and posts definitely seem to know their stuff. The opposition? Eh? I wonder seriously if they truly have the country and what it stands for truly, at heart.

[Texin]

44. "...that rump and the like will regret later..."

Somehow, I'm losing hope in that. When someone can nakedly abuse his power - that 'power' having been manipulated and instituted by his Russian handler(s) - he is unafraid of the consequences, because there will be none - except to his so-called enemies. I fully expect him to make a gambit to have HRC prosecuted. And, tragically, there will be enough red rethugs in Congress that will go with it.

[SWBTATTReg]

45. I hope you're wrong about their being enough thugs in Congress to (1) ...

allow rump his excesses and (2) going after HRC, especially after numerous attempts again and again by the corrupt re-thugs in Congress. I think that if HRC, bless her heart, is under the gun again w/ this nonsense (and doesn't do one single thing for the country, not one thing), that an outcry will rise up at this idiotic action on the part of the re-thugs in Congress and rump. Absolutely ridiculous, harmful to the country at large, and doesn't serve one purpose other than the naked one of revenge against a very competent competitor of hers that more than likely (more and more apparent to us) that she was cheated out of her win.

I'd like to think that any such moves by rump and his cronies to go after HRC and the like will likely backfire quite a bit, and not produce anything other than a massive public outcry against such naked, blind, and cowardly act against a former competitor.

I'd like to think that since the tax act of 2018 failed miserably in helping the average jill and joe on the streets (only helped the donors), and Congress being too much of a coward to do anything else in Congress as they should be doing for the good of the Country for the rest of this year, that folks will be starting to see the 'light' and truth of what actually this administration and complacent Congress really is and how much they have failed all of us in governance of the Country, for all people and not just a minority.

Remember that there are a lot of folks like you and me in the background and before too long, there will be a reckoning. Writing is already on the wall, and re-thugs are seeing this everywhere by their dismal numbers. The Tsunami is rolling in, deceptive in appearance until WHAM, it is here.

Take care!

[GeorgeGist]

20. Wrongful dismissal.

Hopefully, Bowditch will be fired after Strzok is re-instated.

[BadGimp]

22. #PutinWinsAgain and the GOP is now #ThePartyOfPutin

[mahatmakanejeeves]

24. David L. Bowdich, Deputy Director of the FBI:

David L. Bowdich
Deputy Director

In March 2018, David Bowdich was appointed deputy director of the FBI. In this role, he oversees all FBI domestic and international investigative and intelligence activities.

In April 2016, Mr. Bowdich assumed the position of associate deputy director of the FBI, where he oversaw the management of all FBI personnel, budget, administration, and infrastructure. Prior to this appointment, he served as assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office from December 2014 to April 2016.

From September 2012 to December 2014, Mr. Bowdich served as the special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division in the Los Angeles Field Office. In that role, he led the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which was responsible for all international and domestic terrorism investigations in the Los Angeles region, surrounding counties, and the extraterritorial region of Southeast Asia. Additionally, Mr. Bowdich was responsible for all crisis management and response assets, which included the SWAT Team, Evidence Response Team, Hazardous Evidence Response Team, Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team, Rapid Deployment Team, Crisis Management Team, and special agent bomb technicians.

Mr. Bowdich began his career as an FBI special agent in 1995 in the San Diego Field Office, where he investigated violent crimes and gangs and served as a SWAT Team operator and sniper. In 2003, Mr. Bowdich was promoted to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he served in the Criminal Investigative Division for one year and the Director's Office for one year. Mr. Bowdich returned to San Diego and supervised a multiagency gang task force for almost four years before being promoted in place to serve as the assistant special agent in charge over all non-white-collar crime criminal violations, the Imperial County Resident Agency, the SWAT Team, and the Evidence Response Team.

[honest.abe]

26. Another step closer to full on dictator.

[elleng]

27. Is this the diversion of the day?

Now, where were we? 'Where are the babies?' 'Where are the girls?' Manafort? Omarosa?

[Freethinker65]

28. I feel (not) safer already

[pazzyanne]

37. We have become increasingly less safe since 2016.

Each day twittler develops policies and undoes safeguards that have a very deleterious effect on our national security. No border wall in history can keep our nation safe with tRump in the White House. It amazes me that there seems to be no way to cleanse our nation of this horrible administration.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

29. Multiple-part thread: Was Peter Strzok fired in violation of his first amendment rights?

WAS PETER STRZOK FIRED IN VIOLATION OF HIS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS? A WILD IRRESPONSIBLE TWITTER SPECULATION

Givin' the people what they want

/1

Link to tweet

[Marthe48]

31. Who else will be wrongfully fired?

Or will the govt.start denying SS or Medicare to resisters?

I am so sick of trumpopovitch backstabbing efforts succeeding. At this rate, there will be no good people left in the govt.

I hope Mr. Strzok sues for wrongful termination, hostile workplace, harrassment and any other charge that his legal team will charge.

And I call into question bowditch's character, such as who the hell is he really working for? And much much does he get paid?

gdi

[honest.abe]

33. How about investigating FBI agents who sent anti-Hillary messages??

I suspect there are many but of course they will never be brought to light in this administration.

This desperate lunatic is attempting to manipulate the FBI by fear and intimidation, copying methods used by his hero Putin.

[TEB]

34. Putin is happy

[mikeysnot]

36. Must Watch Rachel

This is why idiot is doing puton's bidding...

[turbinetree]

39. So guess what the orange hair fucking TRAITOR gets when he leaves office...............

https://work.chron.com/much-us-president-make-retirement-23058.html

The orange hair POS gets a fucking retirement...........even if he commits treason...............


But he the fucking TRAITOR again, with the help of the fucking liar by the name of Jeff Sessions can go and create a distraction by firing people especially someone that outed and got convictions for people who were fucking spies.

Hey Sessions ever hear of "The Americans, well this hero busted them asshole, you really are a fucking disgrace, just like that pin head asshole in the white house, who will get a retirement because he is a president even if he is illegitimate ....................what the fuck ...............


November 2018 cannot get here fast enough.....................vote

[dlk]

41. Strzok is One of our Top Russian Spyhunters

This termination was about much more than unflattering texts.

[DoctorJoJo]

46. I Hope the FBI Makes a Concerted Effort to Destroy Trump In Retaliation!

Comey, McCabe, Strozk--quite a few scalps on Trump's belt. I sure wouldn't want to be in the FBI sights if I were he!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

47. Analysis: Nobody did more damage to Robert Mueller than Peter Strzok

Analysis: Nobody did more damage to Robert Mueller than Peter Strzok

Link to tweet

The Fix Analysis

Nobody did more damage to Robert Mueller than Peter Strzok

By Aaron Blake August 13 at 1:58 PM [link:[e-mail]|Email the author]

Peter Strzok has been fired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As The Post’s Matt Zapotosky reports, that makes him the third high-ranking FBI official involved in the Russia investigation to be terminated, along with former FBI director James B. Comey and the bureau’s now-former No. 2, Andrew McCabe.

This has led some to defend Strzok or at least question his firing — suggesting that his downfall is merely the latest result of an effort to obstruct justice and tear down all those who know what really happened in 2016. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) even said Strzok deserved a Purple Heart for absorbing so many GOP attacks.

{snip}

They should resist this impulse. Arguably no one apart from President Trump himself has done more damage to the Russia investigation than Strzok. And Strzok’s apparent decision to fight his termination is only going to prolong this ugly chapter.
....
Aaron Blake is senior political reporter for The Fix. A Minnesota native, he has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Hill newspaper. Follow https://twitter.com/aaronblake

[bluestarone]

48. PUTIN getting rid of all the agents that

Caught these russian asshole way back when!!!! ORDERS STRAIGHT FROM PUTIN NO DOUBT IN MY MIND!!! RUMP and this REPUBLICON congress GIVING AMERICA AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!