The FBI agent who was removed from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation because of his extreme political bias – vowing to “stop” Donald Trump from becoming president –insisted on retaining his FBI security clearance and other authorities while working with the special counsel team.
The details come from emails obtained by Judicial Watch in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit which also confirm that the agent, Peter Strzok, had a significant role in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
“These new emails show anti-Trump FBI official Peter Strzok’s ‘assignment’ gave the Mueller special counsel operation special authorities to target President Trump,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
“We know Strzok can’t be trusted and the special counsel should tell us if Strzok abused his special authorities to target President Trump.”
After his reassignment to Mueller’s office, Strzok asked in a series of emails that he retain all the authorities he held as a deputy assistant director (DAD) in the counterintelligence division (CD), including declassification authority.
Strzok acknowledged declassification authority is granted by the Justice Department to only three positions in the FBI’s counterintelligence division, meaning he would deprive one of the deputy assistant directors of that authority. But he argued he should keep it.
“I need to be able to act at least in the capacity of my old CD DAD job – approve NSLs, conduct [redacted] declassify information, [redacted] agent travel, requisitions, etc. Of those, the most problematic and one of the most essential is declassification authority,” Strzok wrote. “As I understand it, declassification authorities are billet-limited by Division and position, and they are provided by DOJ, not by the FBI. CD has three. I understand the need to fill my position with CD, but I’d respectfully request based on mission need that I keep the authorities from my old job.”
He continued: “That would mean one of the DADs in CD would not have declass authority. Bill, I defer to you as to who would not have it. My initial thought it that Intel Branch doesn’t declass nearly what Ops Branch I and II do, but I defer to you.
“I don’t want to be left without authorities.”
In response, the FBI’s assistant director of the Counterintelligence Division, William Priestap, assured Strzok he would maintain his authorizations and be considered a “floating DAD.”
Strzok was dropped from the Mueller team after his anti-Trump text exchanges with FBI lawyer Lisa Page were revealed by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Strzok oversaw the FBI’s interviews of former National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn. He changed former FBI Director James Comey’s language about Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information from “grossly negligent” to “extremely careless.” He also played a lead role in the FBI’s interview of Clinton and is suspected of being responsible for using the unverified anti-Trump dossier to obtain a FISA warrant to spy on a Trump campaign adviser.
In recent testimony before Congress, he vehemently denied that his extreme disdain for Trump affected his work on Clinton investigation or the Russia probe examining alleged Trump campaign collusion with Russia.
A report from the DOJ inspector general concluded he had a “biased state of mind” while working on the Clinton investigation.
