In the aftermath of his firing, FBI agent Peter Strzok is claiming his forced departure from the agency is purely political and his lawyer argues the termination came as a surprise.
"We had an agreement with the FBI's Office for Professional Responsibility, which is the main caretaker for internal discipline, that he would get a 60-day suspension and a demotion. At the last minute, that was countermanded by (FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich) and he was fired. So yeah, we were surprised," Strzok's attorney told CNN.
"We think that they had the power, but not the right to do it," he continued. "In this case, it is hard to reach any conclusion other than that the decision to reverse the OPR's decision was motivated at least largely by politics."
Further Strzok's attorney accused House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy of playing a major role in his client's firing.
Gowdy has a different take and responded Monday night during an interview with Fox News.
"Peter Strzok didn't need any help at all demonizing himself. He had that full covered. This is exactly what they said about Andy McCabe," Gowdy said. "Of course his lawyer said it was a railroad job because the only other option is to say, 'You know what, my client prejudged two major investigations. He made up his mind that Hillary Clinton was innocent before he interview her. He made up his mind that Donald Trump should be impeached before he bothered to interview him and by the way, he did a lot of this on a government phone and he violated FBI policy."
"He got a lawyer who's willing to say it's political," he continued.
Strzok has launched a legal fund and is asking for donations.