Government to pay $2M in settlements to ex-FBI officials over DOJ releasing their anti-Trump texts

WASHINGTON, DC: Two former FBI officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, have settled their lawsuits with the Justice Department over the release of their text messages in 2018.

The settlements will result in the government paying a total of $2 million to former agent Peter Strzok, who will receive $1.2 million, and FBI lawyer Lisa Page will receive $800,000, according to settlement agreements procured by CNN.

What did Peter Strzok and Lisa Page accuse Justice Department of?

The settlements were finalized in court filings on Friday, July 26, with Peter Strzok and Lisa Page alleging that the Justice Department violated the Privacy Act by releasing their texts to the media which they shared criticizing then-GOP candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

“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 said in a statement provided by her attorneys.

The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

Peter Strzok was a senior member of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team until he was removed following an internal investigation into his texts with Lisa Page, with whom he had an extramarital relationship. The texts were seen as displaying political bias.

Lisa Page, who briefly served on Mueller's team, resigned from her position as an FBI lawyer after the messages were discovered.

The release of the text messages became a point of contention for Donald Trump, who used them to criticize the Russia investigation during his presidency.

Peter Strzok also has other ongoing claims in the lawsuit against the department for his termination during the Trump administration.

“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete. As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees,” Strzok’s attorney Aitan Goelman stated in a news release.

“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 added.

Internet slams government for paying $2 million in settlements to ex-FBI officials

People online accused the government of paying out the former FBI officials who lost their jobs after the Justice Department released their messages bashing former President Donald Trump back in 2018.

One X user remarked, "Taxpayers to pay former FBI officials. Government doesn’t have money it takes money."

Another user asked, "What does the FBI do anyway? They seem like a bunch of bored agents trying to stir up , and sexting each other."

Another user wrote, "Here we are years later it's become a thing . Phone records, dm's ."

One user asserted, "They worked for a Government agency that is funded by all of us. We deserved to know what they were doing. Now they get this huge payoff?!? They don’t deserve it. It’s really screwed up."

Another X user claimed, "They were a disgrace. That will be their legacy."

One user tweeted, "So stupid. What a waste of tax payer money."

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.