Trump and FBI director could be fired in case of ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok, judge rules

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CNN —

Former President Donald Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray can be fired as part of a lawsuit from a former FBI agent who sued over his termination in 2018, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The decision ends a year-long dispute over whether the former agent, Peter Strzok, can question them under oath. Strzoks’ lawsuit alleges that Trumps political vendetta prompted his firing and the public release of his texts, in violation of his constitutional rights and the Privacy Act.

DC District Judge Amy Berman Jackson held a sealed hearing Thursday morning, after which she issued a brief ruling.

As part of his decision, Jackson said the Biden White House must decide by late March whether the current president will assert executive privilege over conversations directly related to Trump’s firing of Strzoks.

The depositions also must be limited to less than two hours, Jackson ruled, and to a narrow range of topics, including the government’s decision to fire Strzok.

The Justice Department tried to block the subpoenas, arguing that Strzok had not proven that Trump played a role in his firing. Despite Trumps repeated and public calls for Strzoks to be fired, FBI then-deputy Director David Bowdich made the decision to fire him, the DOJ said.

The firing of Strzoks came after an internal investigation into texts exchanged with former FBI attorney Lisa Page over concerns they had about a potential Trump presidency, as the texts could be interpreted as showing political bias. The messages also revealed that Strzok and Page had an extramarital relationship.

The Justice Department inspector general has released reports on both high-profile investigations that Strzok and Page participated in investigating Hillary Clinton’s use of private email and the investigation into potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. and removed both investigations of political bias.

Page brought her own lawsuit alleging the Justice Department violated the Privacy Act by releasing their texts, but Jackson’s order allowing Trump and Wray to be fired applies only to the Strzoks’ case.

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