The Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a settlement agreement with former FBI agent Peter Strzok, ABC News reported.
The former FBI agent, who was dismissed from the bureau in 2018 after text messages he sent that were critical of former President Donald Trump came to light, reached a settlement in his lawsuit against the DOJ. Strzok’s legal team announced that the U.S. government agreed to pay him $1.2 million to resolve the claims that his privacy rights were violated when his private text messages were disclosed, according to ABC News.
Former FBI agent Peter Strzok reaches $1.2 million settlement with DOJ, his lawyers said. https://t.co/sQOqAaniRq
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) July 26, 2024
Strzok filed a lawsuit in 2019, arguing the FBI and DOJ’s release of his text messages, which contained disparaging remarks about Trump during and after the 2016 election, was unlawful. These texts were exchanged during a crucial period when Strzok was involved in leading the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server and the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Lash Out’: Disgraced Former FBI Agent Says GOP Criticism Of FBI Provokes ‘Violence’ Against Gov’t)
The controversy around Strzok intensified when Trump highlighted the messages, suggesting Strzok’s bias compromised the integrity of the Russia investigation, ABC News reported. After the messages were uncovered by the DOJ’s inspector general, Robert Mueller removed Strzok from the special counsel’s office, reassigning him to a human resources position before he was ultimately fired.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 12: Deputy Assistant FBI Director Peter Strzok testifies before a joint committee hearing of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill July 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“The FBI fired Special Agent Strzok because of his protected political speech in violation of his rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” the lawsuit argued, ABC News reported.
“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete. As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees,” Strzok’s attorney, Aitan Goelman, said in a statement, according to ABC News.
