Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has invited FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok to meet with lawmakers and share what he knows.
Democrats are continuing their investigation into Russian election interference even though Republican committee leadership prematurely shut down the probe and declared "no collusion" without following up on voluminous amounts of evidence that could prove otherwise.
Strzok has faced a barrage of attacks from President Trump and conservatives after an internal investigation revealed he had been sending messages critical of the then-Republican candidate during the 2016 presidential race to FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Strzok, who has offered to appear voluntarily before the House Judiciary Committee, would be able to “address directly allegations about his conduct and activities” as well as share his knowledge of Russia’s attempts to interfere in the election.
“We would like to extend an invitation to Mr. Strzok to appear for a voluntary interview as part of our ongoing probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election,” Schiff wrote in a Tuesday letter to Strzok’s lawyer, Aitan Goelman.
The Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General report on the Clinton email investigation released last Thursday included new text message exchanges between Strzok and fellow FBI official Lisa Page who worked on both the Clinton and Russia investigations, albeit the latter for only a short period of time. The two shared disparaging opinions of Donald Trump, as well as other political figures.
One exchange in which Page expressed concern Trump could become president and Strzok replied, "We will stop it," has led Trump and allies to claim proof of a deep state conspiracy against the president.
The report found no evidence that political bias had affected the FBI's investigation.
Strzok's attorney has explained the motive behind what his client texted.
Goelman said that Strzok was not willing to use his official position to affect Trump’s chances of being elected and that “his political conviction that a Trump presidency would be disastrous for American national security is not based on his bias, it was based on information that was available to him, and his perspective on American national security.”
Schiff noted that Republicans on the committee had notified the DOJ in January about the committee’s intentions to interview Strzok, but they ultimately did not offer him the opportunity to speak before the committee “for reasons that remain unclear.”
“We would welcome the opportunity to finally hear from Mr. Strzok,” Schiff wrote.
Schiff offered the FBI official a closed-door interview that would cover unclassified and classified matters, parts of which could then be released in an unclassified portion of the transcript if Strzok agrees.
Strzok is still an FBI agent, but officials escorted him from the building Friday as the bureau is conducting an internal investigation into his behavior.
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Strzok's attorney, Aitan Goelman, said his client "remains a proud FBI agent who wants to continue working to keep the American people safe."
"Pete has steadfastly played by the rules and respected the process, and yet he continues to be the target of unfounded personal attacks, political games and inappropriate information leaks," Goelman said in a statement. "All of this seriously calls into question the impartiality of the disciplinary process, which now appears tainted by political influence."
Strzok has been stationed in human resources at the FBI since he was dismissed from Mueller's team last summer.
Schiff invites Strzok to appear before House Intelligence Committee (The Hill)