Justice, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Society, Uncategorized

FBI Fires Peter Strzok

peter-strzok-and-lisa-pageControversial FBI official Peter Strzok has been fired by the FBI — joining former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe in the ignoble distinction of being terminated by an agency that rarely jettisons its own.  The firing creates an obvious dissonant element to the Democratic defense of Strzok as someone unfairly hounded by the Republicans. The terminations of McCabe and Strzok are based on the view of officials who viewed their conduct as unacceptable and, in McCabe’s case, potentially criminal.

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One notable controversy was raised by Strzok attorney Aitan Goelman, who maintained that Deputy Director David Bowdich “overruled” the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility to remove him. The suggestion is that career officials did not view Strzok’s conduct as warranting such action.

Strzok was with the FBI for 21 years.  It did not take time for Trump to tweet out the news:

 

 

Strzok was removed from the special counsel probe last year after the discovery that his incendiary text messages with FBI lawyer, who had an affair with Strzok.

I am interested in the basis for Strzok’s attorney claiming that  the deputy director “reversed the decision of the career FBI official responsible for employee discipline who concluded, through an independent review process, that a 60-day suspension and demotion from supervisory duties was the appropriate punishment.”  There should be some explanation from Goelman as to whether that is true and, if so, the basis for such a reversal.  Generally, the recommendation of the OPR carries considerable weight in such matters. However, the ultimate decisions rests with officials like Goelman on whether the findings warrant more serious sanctions.

261 thoughts on “FBI Fires Peter Strzok”

  2. Why is there not a vowel between the letter “r” and “z” in his name? What is his ethnic background? Crimea?

  3. Nutchacha is having a meltdown.

    She’s usually babbling about someone ‘pivoting’. Remember, SJWs always project.

  4. What it comes down to is that an FBI official was caught in a private communication with another voicing a negative opinion of Trump. The powers within the FBI decided to punish the agent by demoting him and suspending him without pay for a couple months. This would have made a clear statement regarding agents keeping their opinions to themselves.

    But for Trump, that was not enough. So the agent was canned. Trump is going Erdogan. Go back a few years and this is what Erdogan was doing, firing anyone within the government that didn’t kiss his a**. Now, it’s anyone that Erdogan’s imagination comes up with.

    We have an idiot for a President who calls anything that is said against him, ‘fake’; while he leads the parade as far as fakery, lying, and finger pointing. No one, and that is a fact, not fake, lies as profusely as Trump, no one. People lie, and screw up but our six times bankrupt, the artist of lying, megalomaniac, narcissist President takes the cake.

    1. What it comes down to is that an FBI official was caught in a private communication with another voicing a negative opinion of Trump.

      Wow! And The Final Solution was a Civil Asset Forfeiture Program.

      Are you and Nutchacha using the same shovel? Maybe if you beat each other over the head with it you’d sound more coherent.

    2. In testimony, the IG has specifically refuted the notion that this is simply a matter of Strzok having a private and/or political opinion.

      That is not what the IG investigation found. There was 1) evidence of bias and 2) there was evidence of a willingness to act on that bias. However, there was no direct evidence that bias influenced prosecutorial decisions although the IG could not preclude that possibility in one specific instance (the Russia investigation phase of the IG is still ongoing).

      What’s interesting to me is how facts are disregarded and serious misconduct by a senior FBI official evolves into a partisan issue.

      At the end of the day, the facts should prevail and whether he exhibited the same level of bias and animus against Hillary Clinton or any other investigatory subject or target shouldn’t make a difference.

  5. You knew what his next move would be, right? Strzok has a Go Fund Me page. Just like McCabe. And idiots are donating. Unbelievable. Does anyone know if Strzok was stripped of his pension and other benefits when he was fired? Or does he still get his pension, like McCabe? What’s the point in firing these corrupt mofo’s and allowing them to keep their government benefits?

    https://www.gofundme.com/peterstrzok

    1. I can’t imagine he would lose his pension. That was earned over 26 years; four in the Army and 22 in the FBI.

      1. That’s what I figured. Strzok’s GoFundMe campaign has collected close to $50k in just a few hours. Then he’ll sign a book deal. He’ll be doing more than fine including his cushy pension and all the rest of it. Just like Comey. Just like McCabe.

        1. Strzok may want to keep the names of the donors to his gofundme stash.
          A slick hustler like Strzok could have a promising second career as a televangelist, and really rake it in.
          Combined with direct mailings to the donors/ pigeons who chipped in on the gofundme scheme, Strzok could have a bright financial future preaching the word.

          1. When dealing with larger sums such as 500K one has to consider tax ramifications. I strongly doubt “Go Fund Me” is a 501(c)3 charity or some other non-profit organization? If it is not a charity then one has to consider whether or not these guys are paying taxes on the money received. Considering the fact that he has been earning income for the year and his wife does as well his actual tax liability should he live in Maryland is likely over ⅓ of the funds received. This is a time when I wish tax rates were higher.

    1. Squeeky – It should be a permanent tattoo. Wonder how long before his wife files for divorce?

  8. To concentrate one’s mind, pardon me, to focus one’s eyes, on employment or personnel matters fails to understand the relevant issues, principles and laws.

    I suggest the media and the professor are simply intent on this:

    https://youtu.be/GO_xfR64qSk

    As I mentioned in April, Why have prosecutions not been instituted against, among others, Ms. Paige, Messrs. McCabe, Comey, Brennan, Clapper and Strozck?

    Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people. From these great tasks both of the old parties have turned aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare they have become the tools of corrupt interests, which use them impartially to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics, is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.

    Theodore Roosevelt

    Simply, laws control the lesser man/woman; right conduct controls the better man/woman and nothing controls politicians.

    Restore the Rule Of Law
    Restore the Constitution
    Reclaim the Republic

    dennis hanna

  9. Many months ago I called this a bloodless coup attempt. Will we ever know who the co-conspirators are and will they be brought to justice. The real Russian collusion group with the help of the MSM have been successful in projecting their crimes away from themselves and onto an innocent President. Meanwhile the wicked witch flies free.

  10. I don’t understand any suggestion that Deputy Director David Bowdich over-punished Strzok by “overruling” the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility to remove him. We are talking about a person trying to “overthrow” a possible POTUS in the making. As happen to be – was to become the POTUS.

    That is one level less damning than trying to remove an actual POTUS by devious means; and one level less than plain assassinating Trump with a bullet.

    Strzok got off lightly by being fired. He deserves jail time. I hope he now spills the beans on the Obama White House.

  11. Strzok is old news. Today’s news is about Omarosa taping POTUS the day after she was fired. Trump claimed he didn’t know that Kelly fired her, and his statement implies that someone else was running his Administration without his knowledge or participation. She also claims that when they fired her, they locked her in the Situation Room for several hours, and denied her the presence of her attorney and/or her husband. She also commented on Trump’s habit of lying and constantly contradicting himself, giving rise to concerns that he might not be mentally competent. The latter part is old news.

    1. Natacha dear,
      Actually Strzok being fired is not old news. It just happened. We’ll type slower so you can understand it.

      1. And the relevance of Strzok’s filing is? Well, to you TNN/Fox News disciples, it’s everything, but to most Americans, it’s irrelevant. Nothing Strzok did or said changes the facts about the crimes Trump, et al, committed. Strrzok is just a diversionary tactic.

    2. Oh come on! Since when does an employee have the right to have an attorney or spouse present when they’re being fired? Normally they just call the person in, and say, “We have to let you go due to X, Y and/or Z.” That’s it.

    3. “Strzok is old news.”

      All news that proves Democratic supporters lied, cheated, committed perjury or any other offense becomes old news. This particular Democratic supporter is providing us with more old news just a couple of days or weeks in advance.

      1. Bill Preistap, who is working with Congress, is new news:

        Peter Strzok

        “For those of you who don’t know, Peter Strzok was the leader of the FBI’s investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. The same Peter Strzok whose text messages clearly showed a bias against Donald Trump.

        The investigation into then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was, in fact, a counterintelligence operation. That operation began in July 2016. As such, Bill Priestap would be directly in charge of that operation along with all other FBI counterintelligence operations. Meaning, Peter Strzok reported directly to Bill Preistap. This is important because, under current FBI structure and policy, Strzok would be reporting every detail of the investigation and would not be able to make any move without Priestap’s approval.”

        1. Crazy George, what does your Holocaust denying buddy Hal Tuner have to say on the subject, you ‘effin idiot?

    4. Strzok is old news.

      Your comment is a perfect example of why you’ve earned the label Nutchacha, and why even your “allies”* on this blog don’t take you seriously. The firing of Strzok was a laydown opportunity to prove you’re more than just a troll on this blog. If anyone had any doubt, you’ve just removed it.

      *Some of those “allies” will come to your defense, but it will be the same sort of defense given to the class clown.

      1. Did Strzok manufacture facts about the meeting with the Russians? Did Strzok force the orange rodeo clown to lie about the purpose of this meeting? MOST Americans did NOT vote for Trump. MOST know he is a pathological liar with serious psychological problems. MOST do not approve of what he has done in office. Strzok is simply a Fox News diversion to the real political stories, including the Omarosa tape in which Trump literally admits that he doesn’t know what his Administration is doing, including firing her. Unless, of course, he was lying when he said it. Either is possible, and both are way more important than Strzok getting fired.

        The real political story is how Fox News has gotten Trump devotees to distrust our law enforcement agencies, and to believe it is appropriate for people like Nunes to go after the Justice Department in order to protect the fat rodeo clown. Did you hear the recording of Nunes’s speech about the reason for going after the Justice Department? It’s not because they aren’t fair or aren’t doing a good job: it’s exactly the opposite. You Trumpsters will believe literally any lie Trump and his minions put out there. You will jump on the bandwagon to crow about a story such as this one, as being really, really important, and somehow providing proof that Trump isn’t a criminal. Well, this story does not exonerate Fatso. Strzok didn’t make up any facts. So what if he was fired? It’s way more important that Trump and Nunes are trying to obstruct justice and that people like Nunes are trying to get people like you to distrust our federal law enforcement system. It’s also way more important that there are people who don’t see this for what it is.

        Did you also see the failed effort of White Supremacists to conduct a rally in Washington?

        1. The real political story is how Fox News has gotten Trump devotees to distrust our law enforcement agencies…

          You’ve gotten so bad that you wouldn’t even qualify as a useful idiot. I’ll save your good buddy Marky Mark the trouble and give you a pro tip: Put down the shovel!

        2. Natacha – oddly enough, most Americans did not vote for Hillary either. Hmmmm????

          1. That’s right, Paul. Neither candidate drew more than 27% of the total electorate. Meaning less that one third of the country voted for Trump. It kind of feels that way.

        3. you mean former Democrat and Obama supporter Jason Kessler? now there’s a kook for ya

        4. Natacha asked, “Did you also see the failed effort of White Supremacists to conduct a rally in Washington?”

          Yes, fewer than 20 or so showed up, right? And you see this as a bad thing? This is a good thing. Both left and right disavow that group, which wouldn’t even be newsworthy if not for the media giving them wall to wall coverage just hoping something would happen that they could tie to Trump and Trump supporters. But it didn’t happen.

          What DID happen was the violence perpetrated by the leftist/antifa protest crowd that went after journalists and cops. Did you see that part? Probably not.

          https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1029182342030655488

          1. Oh and CNN’s weekend coverage referred to these groups of counter-protestors as “anti-hate groups”…..yet they were the only one’s spewing hate and violence.

  12. Probably fired because Lisa Page contradicted his testimony under oath during her private hearing, thus he lied to his superiors and lied before Congress. Fired. Good riddance.

      1. Squeeky – remember Lisa Page is the one that cut the relationship off. She told him not to text or contact her again. I think she feels scorned.

    2. As squeaky fromm said, yes excellent point. No one seems to have brought that up until you did

  13. What did Christopher Wray know and when did Christopher Wray know it?

    If Christopher Wray DID NOT know of the Obama Coup D’etat in America, Christopher Wray is grossly incompetent.

    If Christopher Wray DID KNOW of the Obama Coup D’etat in America, Christopher Wray is grossly corrupt.

    2. Crazy George, what does your Holocaust denying buddy Hal Tuner have to say on the subject, you ‘effin idiot?

  14. Bill Preistap

    Peter Strzok

    “For those of you who don’t know, Peter Strzok was the leader of the FBI’s investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. The same Peter Strzok whose text messages clearly showed a bias against Donald Trump.

    The investigation into then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was, in fact, a counterintelligence operation. That operation began in July 2016. As such, Bill Priestap would be directly in charge of that operation along with all other FBI counterintelligence operations. Meaning, Peter Strzok reported directly to Bill Preistap. This is important because, under current FBI structure and policy, Strzok would be reporting every detail of the investigation and would not be able to make any move without Priestap’s approval.”

    – OpsLens

    1. Most Americans are biased against Trump, if you define “biased” as not believing the consistent string of lies he regularly tells, if you think people who recognize him as the racist misogynist narcissist that he is are “biased”. What facts uncovered by Christopher Steele or the FBI are untrue? Can you name any?

      1. you mean to say what false news? pee pee party for starters. a patent slander.

    2. Crazy George, what does your Holocaust denying buddy Hal Tuner have to say on the subject, you ‘effin idiot?

  15. Lisa Page to Peter Strzok, “POTUS (Obama) wants to know everything we’re doing.”

    Lisa Page to Congress, “The texts mean what the texts say.”
    ________________________________________________

    Obama, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America”
    ___________________________________________________________________________

    Co-conspirators in the Obama Coup D’etat in America:

    Sessions, Rosenstein, Mueller, Comey, McCabe, Strozk, Page, Kadzic, Yates, Baker, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Rybicki, Campbell, Kortan, Priestap, Carlin, McCord, Laufman, Brand, Steele, Simpson, Joseph Mifsud, Stefan “The Walrus” Halper, Kerry, Hillary, Huma, Brennan, Clapper, Farkas, Power, Lynch, Rice, Jarrett, Obama et al.

      1. and that was a disaster. remember that george, sometimes gradual change is better for us all

  16. even though he’s failing with Sztrok, Goelem will be sure to celebrate his representation. He got a big fine for the LIBOR scandal but nobody really knows how many billions Deutsche Bank made with its fraud as Geoleman congratulated himself on his many-millions fine against them

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/business/dealbook/aitan-goelman-commodity-futures-trading-commission.html

    he also was a MacVeigh prosecutor

    makes a big deal out of that. so do all of them, there must have been 40 different lawyers working on it and they all brag a lot about it

  17. It looks like the FBI might be starting to resolve some of its unfinished business and in the process is making the leftist fools look more foolish than ever. Soon we might start hearing Peter Shill trying to dig himself out from his pile of horse$h-t.

    2. I highly doubt that the FBI is cleaning house. They’ll get rid of the few controversial ones, like Strzok, but there will remain a layer or two of high level bad actors that we don’t know about. Just like with the IRS. They fired Lois Lerner because her name was publicly linked to the scandal, but all of her deputies who assisted her were quietly moved to other high-level positions. These agencies take care of their own, and it’s almost impossible to remove agency executives for misconduct. The worst that will happen is they get transferred to an out-of-the-way position at the same rank and salary.

      1. Tin, I too doubt they are really cleaning house. They are resolving some “unfinished business” that can’t be swept under the rug. If they actually cleaned house I believe major names would fall in the process. This is typical but how deep it will go is totally unknown.

      2. “bad actors that we don’t know about”. The fact that you even say something like this is troubling because you are willing to believe any crap that fits into this pre-determined agenda. Again, what facts of the wrongdoing of Trump and his campaign were manufactured or are demonstrably untrue? Can you name any?

        1. Can you name the alleged crime they have been intestigating Trump for this past year and a half? What is the supposed crime?

        2. how about somebody with a high position of responsibility at FBI taking a hit for the FBI protecting mobster Whitey Bulger. Besides the two agents who were directly committing crimes with him that are now in jail for murder. How about their bosses who failed to monitor these rogue agents?

          Like Bob Meuller.

      3. Practically Satanic. Wondering what Ms. Page saw in this guy.

        1. Power? Or maybe she just wasn’t getting “enough” at home. They were both married and seriously humiliated their spouses and children by their cheating, although they presumably didn’t expect to get caught, lol.

          1. “not getting enough” is no excuse for cheating. Vows were made. Nowhere does it say, “until death do us part, or if I don’t get enough”.

            1. Foxtrot……..hilarious. I’d love to hear that “vow” at a wedding. LOL

            2. But on Strzok’s GoFundMe page he calls himself a “proud husband and father”…

              Natacha, have you donated to his fund yet?

        2. FFS – he is either dynamite in bed or her husband is horrible and Strzok is just okay, 😉

          1. Paul C………about 10 min ago .I got lost on this blog and found myself on a post of Prof Turley’s about a prof at Va, Tech who warned of petro-masculine toxicity. I was about to comment when I realized it was an old post……but I did read your hilarious comment about your mother’s penchant for drag racing!! What a woman!

            1. Cindy Bragg – my mother did have a lead foot. 😉 And that Pontiac was hot!!!!

              2. My mother didn’t learn to drive until we moved to Houston, when I was 8. She always drove as if the driving instructor
                was in the front passenger seat, taking notes. She kept her hands at 10 and 2 and looked forward the entire time, no radio on …and very little talking. It was so funny….but she never got a ticket, by god. LOL

  20. Aitan Golem or Goleman or whatever, a failed FTC lawyer, who let a bunch of fraudulent price manipulating banks off easy and claimed a big win.

    Now he has a creep for client who has just been fired. Well, spin spin spin, but don’t hold your breath for a wrongful discharge suit, and a victory would be an even longer longer way off

    1. I certainly wouldn’t call Goelman a “failed FTC lawyer.” He never worked for the FTC. He worked for DOJ prosecuting the Oklahoma City Bombing case, then for the CFTC as a Branch Chief prosecuting securities fraud, and is now a partner at a prominent D.C. firm, Zuckerberg, Spaeder, which specializes in complex securities litigation and white collar criminal defense. But if Strzok intends to challenge his dismissal, he’ll probably switch to an employment law firm. I think the difference between the recommended punishment (60 day suspension and demotion) and termination is due to the bad publicity that Strzok brought to the FBI. While punishment in federal positions is supposed to be based on conduct alone, the reality is that anyone who brings bad publicity on his/her agency is going to get the boot. I’ve seen some really serious misconduct swept under the rug if the employee is well liked and it doesn’t get outside the agency. But if it hits the news, you’re toast. Strzok’s girlfriend did the smart thing; she left the FBI and found another job before they could fire her. But she was a lawyer and had more options.

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