The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed FBI Agent Peter Strzok to come back to Capitol Hill next Tuesday to answer questions publicly about the anti-Trump text messages he sent fellow FBI agent Lisa Page.
Strzok, whom Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the Russia investigation as soon as he found out about the text messages, was one of two FBI agents who interviewed former national security advisor Michael Flynn in the White House on January 24, 2017. Flynn did not tell anyone in the administration about the interview at the time.
It was not clear, however, whether Strzok, who helped lead the inquiries into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election, will appear at a July 10 joint hearing of the Judiciary and the House Oversight and Government Reform committees.
Strzok already answered 11 hours of questions from committee members during a closed hearing last week, and he was angered by selective leaks of his testimony by lawmakers.
"If the committees were actually interested in making sure the American people knew the truth, they would release the transcript of Pete’s previous testimony," attorney Aitan Goelman of Zuckerman Spaeder, which represents Strzok, said in a statement. "Their real intentions are made clear by the fact that they took his testimony in secret, selectively leaked parts of it and are now withholding the transcript from the public."
Strzok had requested that his initial hearing last week be public and "one way or another, he will testify publicly soon," Goelman said.
"Pete wants the American people to hear his testimony for themselves, instead of having his words leaked, twisted and mischaracterized by members of Congress," Goelman said. "The only question is when and before what committee, and those details are not yet settled."
CNN:
... Democrats called for the committee to release the interview transcript and Trump complained on Twitter last month that Strzok was being questioned behind closed doors. "Release the transcript, Mr. Chairman," said Rep. Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, last week. "The American people deserve to hear Peter Strzok's testimony under oath. Do not hide his testimony."
Goodlatte responded that the transcript "will be released to the American people at the appropriate time."
(...)
Goelman has maintained all along that his client is willing to testify publicly, but recently sent the House Judiciary Committee a blistering email, obtained by CNN, charging that the invitation for Strzok to return next week for a public grilling was a "trap" when the first transcript has yet to be released.
"If the Committees were actually interested in making sure the American people knew the truth, they would release the transcript of Pete's previous testimony," Goelman said Tuesday. "Their real intentions are made clear by the fact that they took his testimony in secret, selectively leaked parts of it and are now withholding the transcript from the public.
"Despite the obvious partisan gamesmanship going on, the reality is that Pete did nothing more than express his personal opinions in private conversations with a friend and colleague," the attorney said. "And what his attackers fail to ever mention is that, among the many other texts, Pete criticizes a range of both Democratic and Republican figures, including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and (former Attorney General) Loretta Lynch."
CNN:
In a joint statement Tuesday, the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees announced that Strzok has been subpoenaed to appear on July 10 at 10 a.m. ET.
House panel subpoenas FBI agent who wrote anti-Trump texts, unclear if he will testify (USA Today)
House panel subpoenas FBI agent Strzok for second round of questioning (CNN)