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Wednesday 7 august 2019

Peter Strzok sues FBI for firing him over anti-Trump texts

Continued from Front texts with FBI lawyer Lisa
Page came to light. He
It provides new details was fired from the FBI last
about the circumstances of August.
Strzok’s firing and amounts The lawsuit seeks reinstate-
to the latest defense of his ment to the FBI, back pay
reputation, coming months and a declaration that the
after a fiery congressional government violated his
hearing in which he insisted rights.
that his personal views nev- Many of the texts, on FBI cell
er influenced his work. phones, were bitingly criti-
Multiple investigations cal of Trump during his 2016
are underway examin- run for office. They were
ing whether the FBI acted found by the department’s
properly during the Russia inspector general during
investigation, and Strzok its investigation of the FBI’s
remains a frequent target Clinton email probe. The
of Trump’s scornful tweets. watchdog office criticized
A Justice Department in- both Strzok and Page, with
spector general report fo- whom he was having an
cused on the early days of affair, for their judgment in
the Russia probe is expect- sending the messages but
ed to be released in the didn’t find that the Clinton
coming weeks. email investigation was In this July 12, 2018, file photo, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok is seated to testify before
Spokespeople for the FBI tainted by political bias. the the House Committees on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform during a
and the Justice Depart- In the lawsuit, Strzok attor- hearing on “Oversight of FBI and DOJ Actions Surrounding the 2016 Election,” on Capitol Hill in
ment declined to com- ney Aitan Goelman says Washington.
ment on Strzok’s lawsuit. the FBI deputy director who Associated Press
Strzok, a veteran counter- fired him was responding to and suspended, and de- cluded “constant tweets selor Kellyanne Conway
intelligence agent who “unrelenting pressure from nied him the chance to ap- and other disparaging despite the determination
helped lead FBI investiga- President Trump and his po- peal, the complaint says. statements” from Trump, as that she violated the Hatch
tions into Hillary Clinton’s litical allies in Congress and The FBI has said that Bow- well as the president’s di- Act — a law that limits polit-
use of a private email the media.” That deputy, dich, as the FBI’s No. 2 of- rect appeals to Wray and ical activity by government
server and ties between David Bowdich, overruled ficial, had the authority to Barr’s predecessor as attor- workers — by disparaging
the Trump campaign and the recommendation of overrule disciplinary find- ney general, Jeff Sessions, Democratic presidential
Russia, was removed from a disciplinary official that ings. Bowdich said at the to fire Strzok. candidates while speaking
Mueller’s team after the Strzok be merely demoted time that Strzok’s “sustained In addition, the lawsuit says in her official capacity.
pattern of bad judgment in the administration discrimi- “The Trump administration
the use of an FBI device” nated against his viewpoint has consistently tolerated
called into question deci- by firing him even though and even encouraged
sions made during the Clin- other government officials partisan political speech by
ton email investigation and who have supported Trump federal employees, as long
the early stages of the Rus- in the workplace have kept as this speech praises Presi-
sia probe, the lawsuit says. their job. dent Trump and attacks his
The complaint also says the It notes that the White political adversaries,” the
campaign to fire Strzok in- House has not fired coun- complaint contends. q

Feds: College students tried

to access Trump’s tax return

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM tenced Dec. 16. Hiemstra repeatedly tried to import
Associated Press and a second defendant, Trump’s federal tax infor-
A few days before the Andrew Harris, were stu- mation into the applica-
2016 presidential election, dents at Haverford College tion, according to court
two college students out- outside Philadelphia when documents.
side Philadelphia hatched Harris approached Hiems- “No matter what you think
a plan to access Donald tra about getting Trump’s about the President’s tax
Trump’s tax returns, federal tax information, according returns, clearly this kind
prosecutors say. They were to court documents. of illegal activity can-
unsuccessful, and now Using a Haverford com- not be tolerated or con-
one of them has pleaded puter lab, the students doned. Unauthorized or
guilty to federal charges opened a fraudulent fed- false attempts to obtain
in what one defense law- eral financial aid appli- any citizen’s IRS filings are a
yer calls a “college prank cation in the name of an serious violation of privacy
gone awry.” Justin Hiems- unnamed Trump family rights and a federal crime,
tra, 22, of St. Paul Park, Min- member, prosecutors said. and there’s nothing funny
nesota, pleaded guilty to The students managed to about it,” U.S. Attorney
two misdemeanor charges reset a password, and, us- William McSwain, a Trump
Tuesday in federal court in ing Trump’s Social Security appointee, said in a state-
Philadelphia. He’ll be sen- number and date of birth, ment Tuesday.q