Peter Strzok of the FBI (Screen Capture)
Posted on 07/13/2018 9:42:33 AM PDT by jazusamo
Video at link.
(CNSNews.com) - FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who worked on the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the investigation of possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign testified under oath in a congressional hearing on Thursday that FBI agents can engage in some types of adultery.
Strzok was asked “what action” he would take if he found out one of his subordinates was conducting an “extramarital affair.”
“It depends,” said Strzok.
“If it was against the FBI’s regulation in terms of if it was somebody in their chain of command, above or below them, which is inappropriate or not allowed by regulation, I would tell them and report that,” Strzok testified. “If it was otherwise permitted in our regulations, I would probably talk to them and tell them: Hey, look, I am aware of this and you need to be aware and just take into consideration what you are doing and the appearance of it.”
When FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee on June 28 , he declined to say whether adultery created a “significant vulnerability” for an FBI agent. Wray and Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte had the following exchange:
Chairman Bob Goodlatte: "Mr. Wray, we have repeatedly asked FBI personnel whether the fact that an agent has an extramarital affair is a problem. I am not asking because I want to be the morality police, I am asking because it seems clear that an affair that is unknown to a spouse could be a significant vulnerability to an FBI agent, especially a counter-intelligence agent. Do you agree with that sentiment?"
FBI Director Christopher Wray: "Well, Mr. Chairman, we have a specific offense code and I don’t want to comment on any of the ongoing personnel matters that are going through the disciplinary process right now, which I think answering your question at this particular time might cause me to do."
Peter Strzok was a senior official in the FBI’s counterintelligence division. “Strzok was promoted to a Section Chief in the Counterintelligence Division in February 2016, and to Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) in the fall of 2016,” said the Inspector General for the Justice Department.
Strzok also engaged in an adulterous affair with FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who was a counsel to FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and who, like Strzok, worked on both the Clinton investigation and the Russia investigation.
The report that the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice released last month about the FBI’s conduct of the Clinton investigation said:
“The text messages between Page and Strzok covered a wide range of topics. For example, we identified a large number of routine work-related communications. Many of the text messages were of a personal nature, including discussions about their families, medical issues, and daily events, and reflected that Strzok and Page were communicating on their FBI-issued phones as part of an extramarital affair. We found that this relationship was relevant to the frequency and candid nature of the text messages and their use of FBI-issued phones to communicate. Some of these text messages expressed political opinions about candidates and issues involved in the 2016 presidential election, including statements of hostility toward candidate Trump and statements of support for candidate Clinton.”
In his testimony Thursday before a joint hearing of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Strzok addressed the issue of adultery and his own vulnerability to exploitation because of it with Rep. Karen Handel (R.-Ga.)
In this exchange, Strzok made his distinction between “extramarital affairs” that are prohibited under FBI regulations and those that are “otherwise permitted in our regulations.”
He also declared that he never could have been blackmailed because of his adulterous relationship with Lisa Page because his great “patriotism” would have prevented it.
When asked whether as someone holding a “high-level security clearance” he had ever discussed his adulterous relationship with anyone at the FBI, he did not directly answer the question. Instead, he said: They were well aware of it.”
Handel asked: “When did they become aware of it?”
Strzok responded: “Well, it was kind of made very public by the media after leaks in late last year.”
Handel said: “So, it was in the press. You didn’t proactively tell them.”
Strzok then replied: “Ma’am, I can tell you—Your premise, though, that it makes us susceptible to blackmail: I never, never could have been blackmailed or coerced by the nature of that relationship. That is not—the nature of my patriotism and the nature of what I believe in this country, you could not ever, nobody could have made that---“
Here is a transcript of the exchange between Rep. Handel and Strzok on his “extramarital affair” and its appropriateness for an FBI agent:
Rep. Karen Handel: "Suppose that you found out that one of your direct reports was having an extramarital affair with a colleague or with someone outside of the bureau. What action would you take?"
Peter Strzok: "Ma’am, it depends. If it was against the FBI’s regulation in terms of if it was somebody in their chain of command, above or below them, which is inappropriate or not allowed by regulation, I would tell them and report that. If it was otherwise permitted in our regulations, I would probably talk to them and tell them: Hey, look, I am aware of this and you need to be aware and just take into consideration what you are doing and the appearance of it."
Rep. Handel: "So, obviously you understand the gravity of the transgressions, engaging in the kind of behavior that you have been engaging in—especially with the extramarital affair. It opens up an agent to exploitation and even blackmail. Given the fact that you have and currently hold a high-level security clearance, did you ever discuss your relationship with Miss Page with HR or anyone around your security clearance?"
Strzok: "They were well aware of it by—well, they—"
Rep. Handel: "When did they become aware of it?"
Strzok: "Well, it was kind of made very public by the media after leaks in late last year."
Rep. Handel: "So, it was in the press. You didn’t proactively tell them."
Strzok: "Ma’am, I can tell you—Your premise, though, that it makes us susceptible to blackmail: I never, never could have been blackmailed or coerced by the nature of that relationship. That is not—the nature of my patriotism and the nature of what I believe in this country, you could not ever, nobody could have made that---"
Rep. Handel: "When you’re undergoing a security clearance, you are asked a question about that. There’s a reason that security clearances ask those kinds of questions. Did you ever advise Mr. Mueller of your relationship with Miss Page?"
Strzok: "I did not."
Rep. Handel: "Why?"
Strzok: "It didn’t strike me as relevant."
Rep. Handel: "You have a lot to learn about human resources. Wow. It is absolutely relevant. There should have been conversations. I find it interesting that there was no discussion that the two of you shouldn’t both be together on that investigation. Mr. Strzok, no reasonable person could not be concerned about your actions in this investigation. No reasonable person could not be concerned about this situation involving yourself. Mr. Chairman, I yield back."
If a man’s wife can’t trust him, then no one can.
You can read the forms for yourself. Every section says it "may" be ok to drink yourself under table, to gamble, to be depressed, etc etc. But you are encouraged to seek treatment for conditions. It says you will not be discriminated against for seeking treatment
But you must report. Every section says you must report. The specific section he didn't report is about cohabitation but it covers sexual relationships. Essentially they don't want you spilling secrets over the pillow, which is exactly what he did.
My point had nothing to do with the substance of a potential susceptibility to blackmail, and everything to do with his self-aggrandizing statement that his strong patriotism would make him impervious to pressure. As far as bona fides and currency, in 15 years (thus far) of representing people in security clearance matters and 33 years of holding Secret, TS, TS/Dcids 1-14 eligibility and TS/SCI and higher, I’m pretty confident in both my experience and my read on how a judge would react.
Laz? >
Since they discussed Hillary and Donald’s investigations weren’t they both working on those cases or was he leaking information that he doesn’t think Congress should be permitted to learned even years later?
They were both loyal to Hitlery amd still are, waiting for her to return to power.
Who was he looking at like that?
Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert.
“He also declared that he never could have been blackmailed because of his adulterous relationship with Lisa Page because his great ‘patriotism’ would have prevented it.”
That is such a lie. If he were perceived to be such a great patriot, he would’ve been an even more desirable target for blackmail. Frickin’ liar.
Thank God Trump is president and not some bought off establishment stooge.
Oh, drag, I Thank God every day for our President.
Thanks for the comments.
Great snakes writhe alike... pic.twitter.com/VBPncAW2CB— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) July 13, 2018
This kook thinks he is James Bond. A fictional character.
You may well be right, the turkey sure thinks highly of himself for being such a lying weasel.
Bump!
Ok that nakes some sense. However he admitted in testimony that he did nit report his cohabitation or equivalent at the time. Or did he? Do these forms go to ones boss or to some bureaucratic fbi rabbithole? (Or to a 3rd party agency that the fbi farms clearance interviews out to? —in which case his boss nerd not be told)
Nerd -> need
Ok but strzok still has his clearance, so...........
????
Political bs.
Bttt!
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