Peter Strzok#Text messages

Peter Paul Strzok II was born near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Peter Paul Strzok and Virginia Sue Harris. His father is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel who served in the Corps of Engineers.Strzok, Peter. [http://www.fayobserver.com/d8027ffd-e2a6-5ef0-be77-c43f22fb5fa6.html "Peter P. Strzok: 50-year difference in Iran"], Fayetteville Observer (September 3, 2016). During a 21-year military career, his father did two tours in Vietnam, two in Saudi Arabia, and three in Iran, where Strzok attended elementary school at the American School in Tehran prior to the Iranian Revolution. The family later moved to Upper Volta, where the elder Strzok took an assignment with Catholic Relief Services after retiring from military service.{{Cite web|url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/07/peter-strzok-father-paul-iran-bio/|title=Peter Strzok's Father, Peter Paul Strzok: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|first=Jessica|last=McBride|date=July 18, 2018}} One of Strzok's uncles is Father James Strzok, SJ, a Jesuit priest doing missionary work in east Africa.{{Cite web|url=http://jesuitsmidwest.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20151125104218&Method=Active|title=Reflections from Africa|website=jesuitsmidwest.org|access-date=July 16, 2018|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803152310/http://jesuitsmidwest.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20151125104218&Method=Active|url-status=dead}} The Strzok family is of Polish descent.

For high school, Strzok attended St. John's Preparatory School in Minnesota, graduating in 1987.St. Cloud Times, p. 38 (May 15, 1987). He earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1991 as well as a master's degree in 2013.{{cite news|last1=McBride|first1=Jessica|title=Peter Strzok & Lisa Page: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|url=https://heavy.com/news/2017/12/peter-strzok-lisa-page-fbi-trump-texts-affair|access-date=July 12, 2018|agency=Heavy.com|publisher=Heavy, Inc.|date=December 2, 2017}}[http://reunion.georgetown.edu/2011/guaa-challenge.html "$25K GUAA Participation Challenge"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003105944/http://reunion.georgetown.edu/2011/guaa-challenge.html |date=October 3, 2016 }}, Georgetown University, accessed November 7, 2017. After Georgetown, Strzok served as an officer in the United States Army before leaving to join the FBI in 1996 as an intelligence research specialist. Strzok is married to Melissa Hodgman, an associate director at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.{{cite web|last=Bucher|first=Chris|url=http://heavy.com/news/2017/12/peter-strzok-lisa-page-fbi-trump-texts-affair/amp|title=Peter Strzok & Lisa Page: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|date=December 2, 2017|website=Heavy.com|access-date=December 5, 2017}}Democrat and Chronicle, [https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/137474291/ p. 10] (November 17, 2010).

A career employee with the FBI for 22 years before his firing in August 2018,{{cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/06/19/donald-trump-wrong-fbi-agent-peter-strzok-patriot-not-sick-loser-column/712673002|title=Donald Trump is wrong. My client Peter Strzok is a patriot, not a 'sick loser.'|work=USA Today|date=June 19, 2018}} Strzok had been a lead agent in the FBI's "Operation Ghost Stories" against Andrey Bezrukov and Yelena Vavilova, a Russian spy couple who were part of the Illegals Program, a network of Russian sleeper agents who were arrested in 2010.{{cite news|url=https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/gop-stunt-to-smear-counter-intel-expert-strzok-ripe-for-backfire-1275196995963?playlist=associated|title=GOP stunt to smear counter-intel expert Strzok ripe for backfire|publisher=MSNBC|date=July 11, 2018}}{{Cite magazine |last=Graff |first=Garrett M. |title=Peter Strzok Has a Warning About Russia—and Trump |language=en-US | date=8 Sep 2020 |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/peter-strzok-compromised-book-russia-trump/ |issn=1059-1028}} By July 2015, he was serving as the section chief of the Counterespionage Section, a subordinate section of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division.

Strzok led a team of a dozen investigators during the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server and assisted in the drafting of public statements for then-FBI Director James Comey.{{cite news|last1=Schmidt|first1=Michael S.|last2=Goldman|first2=Adam|last3=Lichtblau|first3=Eric|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/22/us/politics/james-comey-election.html|title=Comey Tried to Shield the F.B.I. From Politics. Then He Shaped an Election.|date=April 22, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2017}} He changed the description of Clinton's actions from "grossly negligent", which could be a criminal offense, to "extremely careless". The draft was reviewed and corrected by several people and its creation was a team process.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} In his statement to Congress, Comey said that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring charges based on available evidence.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/politics/peter-strzok-james-comey/index.html|title=FBI agent dismissed from Mueller probe changed Comey description of Clinton|first1=Laura|last1=Jarrett|first2=Evan|last2=Perez|work=CNN|date=December 4, 2017|access-date=December 4, 2017}} Later, when additional emails were discovered a few days before the election, Strzok reportedly supported reopening the Clinton investigation.{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/31/politics/strzok-fbi-comey-clinton-letter/index.html|title=Controversial FBI agent co-wrote Comey draft|author1=Manu Raju |author2=Laura Jarrett |author3=Jeremy Herb|work=CNN|access-date=February 1, 2018}} He then co-wrote the letter[https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/102816_FBI-Letter.pdf James B. Comey to Congressional Committees, October 28, 2016] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208134654/https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/102816_FBI-Letter.pdf |date=December 8, 2018 }}; accessed July 24, 2018. which Comey used to inform Congress, which "reignited the email controversy in the final days" and "played a key role in a controversial FBI decision that upended Hillary Clinton's campaign."

Strzok rose to the rank of Deputy Assistant Director in the Counterintelligence Division and was the number two official within that division for investigations involving Russia.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-fbi/mueller-removed-fbi-agent-from-russia-probe-for-anti-trump-texts-reports-idUSKBN1DW0Q0 |title=Mueller removed FBI agent from Russia probe for anti-Trump texts: reports|newspaper=Reuters|date=December 3, 2017}}, Reuters (December 2, 2017).{{cite web|last=Bertrand|first=Natasha|author-link=Natasha Bertrand|date=August 16, 2017|title=A top FBI investigator has unexpectedly stepped away from special counsel Mueller's Russia probe|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/top-fbi-investigator-peter-strzok-steps-away-from-russia-probe-2017-8|access-date=December 5, 2017|work=Business Insider}} In that capacity, he led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections,{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/peter-strzok-clinton-emails-trump-russia-investigation-mueller-2017-12|title=Strzok authorized the FBI to launch the Russia investigation|last=Sheth|first=Sonam|date=December 4, 2017|work=Business Insider|access-date=December 7, 2017}} and examined both the Steele dossier and the Russian role in the 2016 Democratic National Committee email leak.{{cite web|first=Mike|last=Levine|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/fbi-agent-removed-russia-probe-played-key-role/story?id=51573419|title=FBI agent removed from Russia probe had key role in controversial remarks on Clinton|website=ABC News|date=December 4, 2017}} He oversaw the bureau's interviews with then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn; Flynn later pled guilty to lying during those interviews.{{cite news|last=Darrah|first=Nicole|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-agent-fired-from-russia-probe-oversaw-flynn-interviews-softened-comey-language-on-clinton-email-actions/ |title=FBI agent fired from Russia probe oversaw Flynn interviews, softened Comey language on Clinton email actions|date=December 4, 2017|website=Fox News|access-date=December 5, 2017}}

In July 2017, Strzok became the most senior FBI agent working for Robert Mueller's 2017 Special Counsel investigation looking into any links or coordination between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.{{cite news|first1=Devlin|last1=Barrett|first2=Sean|last2=Sullivan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/republicans-hammer-mueller-fbi-as-russia-investigation-intensifies/2017/12/06/4a6097ca-dabb-11e7-b1a8-62589434a581_story.html|title=Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 6, 2017}}{{cite web|first=Shimon|last=Prokupecz|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/13/politics/peter-strzok-special-counsel-russia-fbi/index.html|title=Special counsel brings on FBI official who oversaw Clinton email investigation|website=CNN|date=July 13, 2017}} He served in that position until August 2017, at which time he was moved to the Human Resources Branch.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/two-senior-fbi-officials-on-clinton-trump-probes-exchanged-politically-charged-texts-disparaging-trump/2017/12/02/9846421c-d707-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html|title=Top FBI official assigned to Mueller's Russia probe said to have been removed after sending anti-Trump texts|newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/02/politics/fbi-agent-removed-trump-investigation/index.html|title=FBI agent removed from Mueller investigation|first=Evan|last=Perez|date=December 2, 2017 |work=CNN}}{{cite web|last=Bertrand|first=Natasha|author-link=Natasha Bertrand|date=July 13, 2018|title=FBI Investigator Rejects Accusations of Anti-Trump Bias|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/there-is-simply-no-evidence-of-bias/565091|work=The Atlantic}}LEVINE, MIKE. [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-counsels-russia-probe-loses-top-fbi-investigator/story?id=49249486 "Special counsel's Russia probe loses top FBI investigator"], ABC News, August 16, 2017.{{cite news|last=Uchill|first=Joe|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/346836-high-ranking-fbi-official-leaves-russia-probe/ |title=High-ranking FBI official leaves Russia probe |work=The Hill|date=August 16, 2017|access-date=April 11, 2018}} According to The New York Times, Strzok was "considered one of the most experienced and trusted FBI counterintelligence investigators," as well as "one of the Bureau's top experts on Russia" according to CNN.

Strzok left the investigation in late July 2017 after the discovery of personal text messages sent to Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer, during the 2016 election campaign, which criticized Trump and said he would "stop" Trump. At the request of Republicans in Congress, the Justice Department (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) began an inquiry in January 2017 into how the FBI handled investigations related to the election, and the IG announced it would issue a report by March or April 2018.Schmidt, Michael et al. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/02/us/politics/mueller-removed-top-fbi-agent-over-possible-anti-trump-texts.html "Mueller Removed Top Agent in Russia Inquiry Over Possible Anti-Trump Texts"], The New York Times, December 2, 2017.{{cite web|last=Kutner|first=Max|url=http://www.newsweek.com/robert-mueller-threw-agent-trump-russia-probe-strzok-729517|title=Why Mueller threw an agent off the Trump-Russia probe|date=December 2, 2017|work=Newsweek|access-date=December 6, 2017}} The report was eventually released on June 14, 2018, after several delays.

On June 15, 2018, the day after this IG report was published, Strzok was escorted from FBI headquarters as part of the bureau's internal conduct investigations.{{cite news|last=Jarrett|first=Laura|date=June 19, 2018|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/19/politics/fbi-agent-peter-strzok/index.html|title=FBI agent Strzok Escorted from FBI Building Friday |work=CNN|access-date=June 19, 2018}} The move put Strzok on notice that the bureau intended to fire him, though he had appeal rights that could delay such action.{{cite news |last=Zapotsky |first=Matt |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-agent-who-said-well-stop-trump-from-becoming-president-escorted-from-building-though-he-remains-a-bureau-employee/2018/06/19/706a8b8c-73ff-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_story.html |title=FBI agent who said 'we'll stop' Trump from becoming president escorted from building, though he remains a bureau employee |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=June 23, 2018}} On June 21, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that Strzok had lost his security clearance.Manchester, Julia (June 21, 2018). [https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/393587-sessions-says-strzok-lost-his-security-clearance/ "Sessions says FBI agent Peter Strzok no longer has his security clearance."] The Hill. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

On August 10, 2018, under intense political pressure from Trump and Republicans in Congress following the IG report, FBI deputy director David Bowdich fired Strzok.Weiss, Debra. [https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fbi_agent_peter_strzok_is_fired_after_sparring_with_lawmakers_over_anti_tru "FBI agent Peter Strzok is fired after sparring with lawmakers over anti-Trump messages"], ABA Journal (13 Aug 2018) The dismissal overruled a recommendation by the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility, whose head, Candice Will, had determined Strzok should only be demoted and suspended for 60 days, and Strzok's attorney cited Will's lesser disciplinary action in the course of criticizing the firing.{{cite news |last1=Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt |title=F.B.I. Agent Peter Strzok, Who Criticized Trump in Texts, Is Fired |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/us/politics/peter-strzok-fired-fbi.html |access-date=13 November 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=August 13, 2018}}{{cite news |last1=Zapotosky |first1=Matt |title=FBI agent Peter Strzok fired over anti-Trump texts |url=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 |newspaper=The Washington Post |quote=But Goelman said Bowdich overruled that decision and ordered Strzok's termination.|access-date=August 13, 2018}}Stokols, Eli. [https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-peter-strzok-fired-20180813-story.html “FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who sent text messages criticizing Trump, is fired”], Los Angeles Times (13 Aug 2018).

On August 13, a GoFundMe campaign was created by "Friends Of Special Agent Peter Strzok" to raise money for Strzok's lost income and ongoing legal costs.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/17/gofundme-for-fired-fbi-agent-peter-strzok-raises-325000-in-one-day.html|title=GoFundMe page for fired FBI agent Peter Strzok raises $325,000 in one day|last=Cummings|first=William|date=August 17, 2018|work=CNBC|access-date=September 5, 2018}}

The IG's investigation examined thousands of text messages exchanged using FBI-issued cell phones between Strzok and Lisa Page, with whom he was having an extramarital affair.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/13/fbi-fires-peter-strzok-agent-who-criticized-trump-in-text-messages/|title=Peter Strzok: FBI fires agent who criticized Trump in text messages|date=August 13, 2018|newspaper=The Guardian}} She was also a trial attorney on Mueller's team.{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Kevin |title=Peter Strzok, FBI agent removed from Robert Mueller's Russia probe, called Trump an 'idiot' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/12/peter-strzok-fbi-agent-removed-muellers-russia-probe-called-trump/946913001 |work=USA Today |date=December 12, 2017 |quote=Peter Strzok, a counter-intelligence agent who also helped run the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, expressed a clear preference for the Democratic candidate while leveling expletive-laden insults against Republicans}}{{cite news |last1=Gerstein |first1=Josh |title=In texts, FBI agents on Russia probe called Trump an 'idiot' |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/12/fbi-agents-trump-mueller-texts-294156 |work=Politico |date=December 12, 2017}} The texts were sent between August 15, 2015, and December 1, 2016. At the request of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the DOJ turned over 375 of these text messages to the House Judiciary Committee.Jarrett, Laura. [http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/03/politics/justice-department-house-intel-russia-investigation/index.html "Justice Dept. offers up key witness in Russia probe as House Intel Chair threatens contempt"], CNN, December 4, 2017. Some of the texts disparaged then-presidential candidate Donald Trump,{{cite news |last1=Demirjian |first1=Karoun |last2=Barrett |first2=Devlin |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/two-senior-fbi-officials-on-clinton-trump-probes-exchanged-politically-charged-texts-disparaging-trump/2017/12/02/9846421c-d707-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html |title=Top FBI official assigned to Mueller's Russia probe said to have been removed after sending anti-Trump texts |date=December 2, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=December 6, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/02/politics/fbi-agent-removed-trump-investigation/index.html |title=FBI agent removed from Mueller investigation |last=Perez |first=Evan |website=CNN |date=December 4, 2017|access-date=December 3, 2017}} Chelsea Clinton, Attorney General in the Obama administration Eric Holder, former Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley, and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination Bernie Sanders.{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/364946-fbi-agents-removed-from-russia-probe-lambasted-sanders-holder-in/ |title=FBI agent removed from Russia probe also lambasted Sanders, Holder in texts |last=Delk |first=Josh |date=December 14, 2017 |work=The Hill|access-date=December 14, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/full-texts-fbi-employees-messages-bashed-trump-sanders-congress-1513279175 |title=Full Texts: FBI Employees' Messages Bashed Trump, Sanders, Congress |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |date=December 14, 2017 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/fbi-agent-removed-from-russia-probe-held-dim-views-of-holder-sanders-1513274691 |title=FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Held Dim Views of Holder, Sanders |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |date=December 14, 2017 |work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=December 16, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}} Strzok called Trump an "idiot" in August 2015 and texted "God Hillary should win 100,000,000 - 0" after a Republican debate in March 2016.{{cite web |last=Hartmann |first=Margaret |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/fbi-agents-called-trump-idiot.html |title=We Now Know FBI Agents Privately Called Trump an 'Idiot,' But Not Why That's Relevant |work=New York |date=December 13, 2017 |quote=Strzok and Page held political views typical of the average Clinton voter....}}

In their messages, Strzok and Page also advocated creating a Special Counsel to investigate the Hillary Clinton email controversy, and discussed suggesting former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald be considered for such a probe.{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/25/hillary-clinton-emails-patrick-fitzgerald-fbi-special-prosecutor-370489 |title=Texts: FBI considered Patrick Fitzgerald as special prosecutor for Hillary Clinton emails |work=Politico|access-date=January 26, 2018}} Devlin Barrett from The Washington Post alleged Strzok and Page had been using the backdrop of discussing the Clinton investigation as a cover for their personal communications during an affair.{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=Devlin |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-officials-text-message-about-hillary-clinton-said-to-be-a-cover-story-for-romantic-affair/2017/12/15/23205bee-e1b6-11e7-bbd0-9dfb2e37492a_story.html |title=FBI officials' text message about Hillary Clinton said to be a cover story for romantic affair |date=December 15, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=December 16, 2017 |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} Upon learning of the text messages, Mueller removed Strzok from the investigation. Messages released in January 2018 showed that Strzok was hesitant to join the Mueller investigation, with Page encouraging him not to do so.{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/370281-gop-senator-releases-additional-messages-from-fbi-agent-removed-from-mueller/ |title=GOP senator releases additional messages from FBI agent removed from Mueller probe |last=Samuels |first=Brett |date=January 23, 2018 |work=The Hill|access-date=January 23, 2018}}

Strzok's colleagues and a former Trump administration official said that Strzok had never shown any political bias.{{cite news |last1=Wilber |first1=Del Quentin |last2=Sonne |first2=Paul |title=FBI Agent Removed From Russia Probe Had Key Role in Clinton Email Investigation |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-slams-fbi-after-flynn-plea-removal-of-agent-1512317744 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 3, 2017 |quote=Peter Strzok, 47 years old, was one of the highest-ranking agents at the bureau and was considered one of its most experienced counterintelligence experts.}} An associate of his says the political parts of the text messages were especially related to Trump's criticism of the FBI's investigation of the Clinton emails. According to FBI guidelines, agents are allowed to have and express political opinions as individuals. Former FBI and DOJ officials told The Hill that it was not uncommon for agents like Strzok to hold political opinions and still conduct an impartial investigation.{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Katie |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/364369-fbi-agent-becomes-gop-public-enemy-no-1/ |title=FBI agent becomes GOP public enemy No. 1 |work=The Hill |date=December 12, 2017|access-date=December 14, 2017}} Several agents asserted that Mueller had removed Strzok to protect the integrity of the special counsel's Russia investigation.{{cite news |last1=Wilber |first1=Del Quentin |title=Mueller Reassigned Top Aide on Russia Probe After Anti-Trump Texts |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mueller-reassigned-top-aide-on-russia-probe-after-anti-trump-texts-1512249437 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 2, 2017}} Strzok was not punished following his reassignment.{{cite web |last=Graham |first=David |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/the-strange-saga-of-peter-strzok/547790 |title=The Strange Tale of Peter Strzok |work=The Atlantic |date=December 7, 2017 |quote=Wray said during testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that, although he had been reassigned, Strzok had not been punished}} Defenders of Strzok and Page in the FBI said no professional misconduct between them occurred.

The decision by the DOJ to publicize the private messages in December 2017 was controversial. Statements by DOJ spokeswomen revealed that some reporters had copies of the texts even before the DOJ invited the press to review them, but the DOJ did not authorize the pre-release. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have asked for a review of the circumstances under which the texts were leaked to select press outlets.{{cite magazine |last1=Nguyen |first1=Tina |title=Has the D.O.J. Overplayed Its "Textgate" Scandal? |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/12/peter-strzok-leaked-texts-mueller-probe |access-date=December 17, 2017 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=December 15, 2017}}

A comprehensive review in February 2018 of Strzok's messages by The Wall Street Journal concluded that "texts critical of Mr. Trump represent a fraction of the roughly 7,000 messages, which stretch across 384 pages and show no evidence of a conspiracy against Mr. Trump".{{Cite news |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |date=February 2, 2018 |title=Inside the FBI Life of Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, as Told in Their Text Messages |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/inside-the-fbi-life-of-peter-strzok-and-lisa-page-as-told-in-their-text-messages-1517589380 |access-date=February 2, 2018 |issn=0099-9660}}

The Office of Inspector General's report on the FBI's handling of the Clinton email investigation published on June 14, 2018, criticized Strzok's text messages for creating the appearance of impropriety. However, the report concluded that there was no evidence of bias in the FBI's decision not to pursue criminal charges against Clinton.{{Cite news|url=https://www.apnews.com/5cd36c766cf14f548bdaf050d1393d98|title=FBI agent defiantly rejects bias charges at chaotic hearing|work=AP News|access-date=July 12, 2018|language=en-US}} The report revealed additional texts hostile to Donald Trump by Strzok. In early August 2016, after Page asked Strzok, "[Trump's] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!", Strzok responded: "No. No he won't. We'll stop it."{{cite news |last1=Bowden |first1=John |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/392284-fbi-agent-in-texts-well-stop-trump-from-becoming-president/|title=FBI agent in texts: 'We'll stop' Trump from becoming president|newspaper=The Hill|date=June 14, 2018|access-date=June 14, 2018}} Many Democrats believed that the FBI's actions during the 2016 presidential campaign, such as reopening the Clinton email investigation on the eve of the election and elements within the FBI telling The New York Times that there was no clear link between the Trump campaign and Russia, ended up harming the Clinton campaign and benefitting the Trump campaign.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/07/12/peter-strzok-just-gave-a-hard-to-rebut-defense-of-the-objectivity-of-the-russia-investigations-origins/|title=Analysis {{!}} Peter Strzok just gave a hard-to-rebut defense of the objectivity of the Russia investigation's origins|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=July 15, 2018}}

At a July 12, 2018 public congressional hearing, Strzok denied that the personal beliefs expressed in the text messages impacted his work for the FBI. Strzok explained that a "We'll stop Trump" text message was written late at night and off-the-cuff shortly after Trump denigrated the immigrant family of a fallen American war hero, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, and that the message reflected Strzok's belief that Americans would not vote for a candidate who engaged in such "horrible, disgusting behavior". Strzok said the message "was in no way – unequivocally – any suggestion that me, the FBI, would take any action whatsoever to improperly impact the electoral process for any candidate." Strzok added that he knew of information during the 2016 presidential campaign that could have damaged Trump but that he never contemplated leaking it. Strzok also said that he criticized politicians such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in his "blunt" text messages. Strzok claimed the investigation into him and the Republicans' related rhetoric was misguided and played into "our enemies' campaign to tear America apart".

A December 2019 report by the Justice Department inspector general acknowledged the text message from Strzok about stopping Trump, but said Strzok's actions were not taken because of bias and he did not have undue influence in launching the FBI investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.{{Cite web | url=https://www.justice.gov/storage/120919-examination.pdf | title=Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation | website=www.justice.gov}}{{cite web |last1=Wagner |first1=Meg |last2=Rocha |first2=Veronica |title=Inspector general report on Russia investigation is out |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/inspector-general-report-russia-investigation/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=December 19, 2019 |date=December 9, 2019}}

Strzok's personal messages to Lisa Page have been used by Republicans to attack the impartiality of Mueller's investigation into Donald Trump's alleged collusion with Russia during the election. Conservative media outlets and Republicans have used the text messages as part of an aggressive campaign to discredit the Mueller investigation and protect President Trump. Other Republicans have defended Mueller and his work, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who said that he would fire Mueller only if there was actual cause under DOJ regulations, and that no such cause existed. Rosenstein also praised Mueller for removing Strzok from the Russian investigation.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/13/us/politics/trump-mueller-russia-republican-campaign.html?mtrref=www.google.com|title=Justice Dept. Official Defends Mueller as Republicans Try to Discredit Him|last1=Fandos|first1=Nicholas|date=December 13, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 17, 2017|last2=Savage|first2=Charlie|quote=Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein adamantly defended the character and impartiality of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, as he came head-to-head on Wednesday with an increasingly aggressive campaign by Republicans to discredit the inquiry. The Republicans' effort received a fresh jolt from the release one night earlier of text messages exchanged last year between an F.B.I. agent, Peter Strzok, and an F.B.I. lawyer, Lisa Page, describing the possibility of an election victory by President Trump as 'terrifying' and saying that Hillary Clinton 'just has to win.' Mr. Mueller removed Mr. Strzok from the Russia investigation as soon as he learned of the texts, a step that Mr. Rosenstein praised. Nonetheless, Republicans used the messages as fodder to attack the impartiality of Mr. Mueller during an appearance by Mr. Rosenstein before the House Judiciary Committee.}}

In 2018, President Trump falsely claimed that 19,000 text messages between Strzok and Page "were purposely & illegally deleted" and that these text messages "Would have explained whole Hoax".{{cite web |last1=Seitz |first1=Amanda |title=No evidence 19,000 text messages between FBI officials destroyed |url=https://apnews.com/afs:Content:8227360079 |website=AP News |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=May 5, 2020 |date=December 2, 2019}} PolitiFact rated the claim "Pants-on-fire" false. An investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general found no evidence the messages were purposefully deleted, some from the work phones were recovered, and that the texts on their personal phones were lost when they were reset.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/dec/19/donald-trump/no-evidence-fbi-officials-texts-deliberately-erase/|title=No evidence FBI officials' texts deliberately erased|website=PolitiFact|language=en|access-date=December 22, 2018}}

Some commentators on Fox News used Strzok's messages to comment negatively on the Mueller investigation. Jesse Watters said that Mueller's investigation now amounted to a coup against President Trump, if "the investigation was weaponized to destroy his presidency for partisan political purposes".{{Cite news|last=Schmidt|first=Samantha|date=December 18, 2017|title=A 'coup in America?' Fox News escalates anti-Mueller rhetoric.|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/12/18/a-coup-in-america-fox-news-escalates-anti-mueller-rhetoric/|access-date=December 18, 2017|issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news|last=Beavers|first=Olivia|date=December 17, 2017|title=Fox News host called 'irresponsible' after suggesting US facing a 'coup' from Mueller|work=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/365331-fox-news-faces-backlash-saying-the-us-may-be-facing-a-coup-with-mueller/|access-date=December 18, 2017}}{{Cite news|last=Hart|first=Benjamin|title=Jesse Watters Says We May 'Have a Coup on Our Hands in America'|language=en|work=Daily Intelligencer|url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/12/jesse-watters-says-we-may-have-a-coup-on-our-hands.html|access-date=December 18, 2017}}{{Cite news|title=Fox News's FBI coup conspiracy theory, explained|work=Vox|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/18/16790592/fox-news-coup|access-date=December 18, 2017}}{{Cite news|last=Jacobs|first=Ben|date=December 19, 2017|title='Kill the messenger': how Fox News cried 'coup' over the Trump-Russia inquiry|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/19/how-fox-news-cried-coup-over-mueller-investigation|access-date=December 19, 2017|issn=0261-3077}} Fox Business host Lou Dobbs said that the FBI and DOJ were working clandestinely to destroy the Trump presidency, and called for a "war" against the "deep state".{{Cite news|last=Anapol|first=Avery|date=January 24, 2018|title=Lou Dobbs: 'May be time to declare war' on 'deep state'|work=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/370469-lou-dobbs-its-time-to-declare-war-on-deep-state/|access-date=January 25, 2018}} One guest on Fox's talk and news show Outnumbered, Kevin Jackson, speculated that Strzok's messages were evidence of a plot by FBI agents to make "an assassination attempt or whatever" against President Trump, which other Fox hosts quickly contradicted and said was not "credible".{{Cite news|last=Bowden|first=John|date=December 19, 2017|title=Fox guest floats possibility of FBI assassination plot against Trump|work=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/365639-fox-news-guest-floats-fbi-assassination-plot-against-trump/|access-date=December 19, 2017}} Fox News figures referred to the investigation as "corrupt", "crooked" and "illegitimate", and likened the FBI's tactics to the KGB, the Soviet-era spy organization.

In an August 15, 2016 text message, Strzok told Page: "I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy's (Andrew McCabe, Deputy Director of the FBI) office that there's no way Trump gets elected—but I'm afraid we can't take that risk. It's like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you're 40." This message attracted scrutiny from Republicans, including Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, who stated: "Some of these texts appear to go beyond merely expressing a private political opinion, and appear to cross the line into taking some official action to create an 'insurance policy' against a Trump presidency." Sources close to Strzok and Page told The Wall Street Journal that Strzok was not contemplating using the FBI's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to harm Trump's candidacy, but rather emphasizing the need to aggressively pursue any such leads before the election "because some of Mr. Trump's associates could land administration jobs and it was important to know if they had colluded with Russia."{{cite web |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-fbi-agents-account-insurance-policy-text-referred-to-russia-probe-1513624580?mg=prod/accounts-wsj |title=In FBI Agent's Account, 'Insurance Policy' Text Referred to Russia Probe |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 18, 2017 |access-date=December 18, 2017}}{{cite web |last=Jarrett |first=Laura |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/12/politics/peter-strzok-texts-released/index.html |title=Months-worth of FBI employees' texts dreading Trump victory released to Congress |work=CNN |date=December 13, 2017 |access-date=December 13, 2017}}

On January 20, 2018, Senator Ron Johnson (R–WI) released a letter in which he stated that the FBI's technical system had failed to preserve five months' worth of texts between Strzok and Page. According to the letter, the texts in question were sent between mid-December 2016 and mid-May 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fbi-clinton/senator-says-fbi-lost-crucial-texts-tied-to-clinton-probe-idUSKBN1FA15O |title=Senator says FBI lost crucial texts tied to Clinton probe |last=Lynch |first=Sarah N. |date=January 21, 2018 |website=Reuters |access-date=January 22, 2018 |quote="Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, revealed in a Jan. 20 letter that the FBI's technical system failed to preserve texts that were exchanged between Lisa Page, a lawyer, and Peter Strzok, an agent, between mid-December 2016 through mid-May of 2017."}} A Justice Department official later said that the technical lapse had affected thousands of FBI-issued phones, which failed to store text messages for periods of up to a year.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-of-fbi-issued-phones-had-glitch-that-failed-to-save-texts/ |title=Thousands of FBI-issued phones had glitch that failed to save texts |date=January 24, 2018 |work=CBS News |access-date=January 27, 2018}}

In late January 2018, a number of congressional Republicans, including Sen. Ron Johnson, asserted that they had evidence that pointed towards FBI agents working clandestinely to undermine the Trump presidency; they asserted that Strzok and Page were in a "secret society" against Trump. Congressional Republicans refused to release the evidence behind the assertion, but ABC News obtained a copy of the message that Republicans were referring to and noted that the message that refers to a "secret society" may have been made in jest.{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/full-secret-society-text-fbi-agents-meant-jest/story?id=52592241 |title=The full 'secret society' text between FBI agents: Was it meant in jest? |work=ABC News |date=January 24, 2018 |language=en|access-date=January 25, 2018}} The day after his assertion that these messages demonstrated "corruption at the highest levels of the FBI" and after a copy of the messages were revealed by ABC News, Johnson walked back his comments and said that there was a "real possibility" that the messages were made in jest.{{Cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/25/politics/ron-johnson-secret-society-texts/index.html |title=Sen. Johnson backs off 'secret society' claim |first1=Manu |last1=Raju |first2=Veronica |last2=Stracqualursi |work=CNN|access-date=January 25, 2018}}

In February 2018, Johnson speculated that a text message between Strzok and Page raised questions about "the type and extent of President Obama's personal involvement" in the Clinton emails investigation.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/texts-from-2016-show-fbi-employees-preparing-obama-briefing-on-russia-1518036629 |title=Text From 2016 Shows Obama's Interest in FBI Employees' Work |last=Wilber |first=Del Quentin |date=February 7, 2018 |work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=February 8, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}} Fox News reiterated Johnson's claim that text messages between Strzok and Page suggested that former President Barack Obama was deeply involved in the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. Fox News spokeswoman Carly Shanahan did not answer an inquiry from CNN about whether Fox News reached out to Obama for comment. Johnson's claim was covered by various then pro-Trump websites, such as Drudge Report, Breitbart, InfoWars and The Gateway Pundit, before President Trump himself tweeted "NEW FBI TEXTS ARE BOMBSHELLS!"{{Cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/02/07/media/right-wing-media-fbi-text-message-clinton-investigation/index.html |title=Right-wing media obsesses over FBI text message story; hours later it's debunked |last=Darcy |first=Oliver |date=February 7, 2018 |website=CNN}} Other news outlets reported that the text messages were sent in September 2016, months after the Clinton emails investigation had concluded, and three days before Obama would confront Russian President Vladimir Putin about interference in the 2016 election at the G20 Hangzhou summit.{{cite web |last1=Edelman |first1=Adam |last2=Memoli |first2=Mike |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/fbi-texts-obama-wants-know-everything-we-re-doing-n845531 |title=FBI texts: Obama 'wants to know everything we're doing' |date=February 7, 2018 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=April 11, 2018}} Associates of Strzok and Page told The Wall Street Journal that the texts were about the FBI's investigation into Russian electoral interference. Fox News continued to report its original version of the story after the new context for the messages had been publicly proffered.

Strzok filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the DOJ and the FBI in federal court on August 6, 2019, asking to be reinstated and awarded back pay. He argued that the Justice Department had terminated him because of "unrelenting pressure" from Trump over his comments in private text messages. Strzok asserted in the suit that his sentiments were "protected political speech," that the DOJ had violated his privacy by releasing his texts to the media, and that his termination violated the First Amendment.{{cite news|last=Tucker|first=Eric|date=August 6, 2019|title=Peter Strzok sues FBI for firing him over anti-Trump texts|work=AP News|url=https://www.apnews.com/5fb73f03621f45c0ab61b6f924807bc9|access-date=August 9, 2019}} He alleged that the Trump administration had "consistently tolerated and even encouraged partisan political speech by federal employees", but only if that speech lauded the president and denounced his opponents. He said his removal was "part of a broader campaign against the very principle of free speech ... initiated and led by" Trump. The Justice Department and FBI spokeswomen declined to comment. In February 2023, federal judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Trump and FBI director Christopher Wray could be questioned under oath regarding the suit.{{cite news |last1=Hsu |first1=Spencer S. |title=Trump may be questioned in lawsuits by ex-FBI employees |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/02/23/trump-deposed-fbi-lawsuit/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 23, 2023}}

His lawsuit was consolidated with that of Lisa Page, who in December 2019 sued the FBI and Justice Department, accusing them of violating the Privacy Act. In May 2024, Strzok and Page reached a tentative settlement with the Justice Department.{{Cite news |last=Hsu |first=Spencer S. |date=2024-05-29 |title=Ex-FBI officials Strzok, Page near DOJ settlement over anti-Trump text leak |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/28/strzok-page-lawsuit-settlement-text-leak/ |access-date=2024-05-29 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} On July 26, it was revealed that Strzok will receive $1.2 million and Lisa Page will receive $800,000.{{cite web | last=Hsu | first=Spencer S. | title=Justice Dept. settles with ex-FBI officials over leak of anti-Trump texts | website=The Washington Post | date=July 26, 2024 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/26/strzok-page-fbi-settlement-trump-text-leak/ | access-date=July 26, 2024}}

In September 2020, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published Strzok's book, Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump, which became a New York Times and Washington Post bestseller. During an NBC News interview upon release of the book, Strzok confirmed a recent report in The New York Times that the FBI had opened a broad counterintelligence investigation into Trump after the president fired FBI director James Comey in May 2017, based on concerns over Trump's "financial entanglements" with Russia. That investigation was curtailed days later by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, giving the FBI the impression that the incipient Mueller investigation would pursue it, though Rosenstein instructed Mueller not to, effectively ending the investigation.{{Cite web|date=September 13, 2020|title=Peter Strzok Defends Belief Trump 'Compromised' by Russia: Their Leverage Renders Him 'Incapable' of Defending National Interest|url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/peter-strzok-defends-belief-trump-compromised-by-russia-their-leverage-renders-him-incapable-of-defending-national-interest/|access-date=September 13, 2020|website=Mediaite}}{{Cite web|last=Schmidt|first=Michael S.|date=August 30, 2020|title=Justice Dept. Never Fully Examined Trump's Ties to Russia, Ex-Officials Say|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/us/politics/trump-russia-justice-department.html|access-date=September 13, 2020|website=The New York Times}}

Since October 2020, Strzok has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

On February 6, 2023, the Cleanup On Aisle 45 podcast, hosted by Allison Gill, announced that Peter Strzok would be the new co-host starting on February 22, 2023. On the November 27, 2024 episode of ‘’Cleanup on Aisle 45’’ Allison Gill announced, that Peter Strzok was no longer going to be the co-host for an undisclosed reason after that episode.

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