Former FBI agent Peter Strzok will receive more than $1 million from the FBI after suing the Bureau during the Trump administration.
"On behalf of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Peter P. Strzok, Zuckerman Spaeder LLP has finalized a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over claims that DOJ violated Mr. Strzok's privacy rights. Mr. Strzok was terminated by the FBI in 2018 after his private text exchanges were made public," Strzok's attorneys released in a statement Friday. "The settlement, finalized today, resolves the allegation that the DOJ violated the Privacy Act when it publicly released Mr. Strzok's private text messages, which were critical of then-presidential candidate, Donald Trump."
The so called "private" text messages were sent and received on Strzok's official government device.
"The settlement, in which the government agrees to pay Mr. Strzok $1.2 million, excludes from its terms Plaintiff's claims that he was unlawfully removed from the FBI in violation of his rights under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment and in violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment," the statement continues.
👀 Former FBI agent Peter Strzok’s attorneys say he’s getting $1.2 million from a settlement with DOJ over the release of his private text messages. Additional claims about his removal from the FBI remain pending. pic.twitter.com/MRvAtlmiUZ
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 26, 2024
"The suit from Peter Strzok also alleges he was unfairly punished for expressing his political opinions, and that the Justice Department violated his privacy when it shared hundreds of his text messages with reporters," PBS News reported in 2019.
During the 2016 presidential election, Strzok exchanged text messages with FBI attorney Lisa Page about implementing and "insurance policy" should then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the White House. Text messages also show the two, who were having an affair, vowing to stop him.
Discussing meeting in FBI second-in-command's office shortly after Trump-Russia probe began, now-demoted agent Peter Strzok talked about 'insurance policy' and possibility of Trump election. Congressional investigators trying to learn what he meant. https://t.co/skPVEStbSx
— Byron York (@ByronYork) December 14, 2017
The "insurance policy" was a false accusation that President Donald Trump colluded with the Russia government to win the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton. That accusation resulted in a lengthy Special Counsel investigation, led by Bob Mueller, which found no evidence of the claim.