Former FBI agent Pete Strzok, who was fired from the bureau in 2018 after his disparaging text messages about Donald Trump were made public, has reached a settlement with the Justice Department over his claims that his privacy rights were violated, according to his lawyers.
According to Strzok’s lawyers, the U.S. government has agreed to pay Strzok $1.2 million.
In his 2019 lawsuit, Strzok and his lawyers argued that the FBI and DOJ unlawfully disclosed his private text messages disparaging Trump before and after the 2016 presidential election — including the time frame during which Strzok helped lead the agency’s investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server and Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump, who made Strzok a frequent target on social media, argued that Strzok’s political bias tainted the early stages of the Russia investigation.
When the DOJ’s inspector general uncovered the text messages between Strzok and then-FBI lawyer Lisa Page, Strzok was removed by Robert Mueller from the special counsel’s office to a lower-level human resources position before his eventual firing from the bureau.
“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.
In a statement following the settlement, Strzok’s attorney, Aitan Goelman, said, “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.”
