New Wall Street Journal report might totally destroy Republicans' favorite anti-FBI talking point
BRAD REED
18 DEC 2017 AT 15:10 ET
A
new report from the
Wall Street Journal adds some needed context to FBI Agent Peter Strzoks text message about the Russia investigation being an insurance policy in the event that Donald Trump won last years presidential election.
According to the Journals sources, Strzoks talk of an insurance policy against Trumps electoral victory was meant to convey that the bureau needed to aggressively investigate allegations of collusion between Donald Trumps campaign and Russia, and was not intended to suggest a secret plan to harm the candidate but rather address a colleague who believed the [FBI] could take its time because Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was certain to win the election.
In the original text message, which was sent to FBI lawyer Lisa Page, Strzok wrote of Trump that, I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andys office that theres no way he gets elected but Im afraid we cant take that risk. Its like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40.
The text message had been seized upon by Republicans who suggested it revealed an agency-wide conspiracy to bring down Trump in the event of his election. According to the Journals account, however, it seems that Strzok was sincerely concerned about contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian agents, and wanted to pursue an investigation regardless of who won the 2016 presidential election.
Strzok was originally part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigative team, but he was removed by Mueller this past summer after the special counsel discovered that the FBI agent had disparaged Trump as an idiot in text messages.
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https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/new-wall-street-journal-report-might-totally-destroy-republicans-favorite-anti-fbi-talking-point/