By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON (AA) – A senior FBI agent was fired for sending anti-Donald Trump text messages, his lawyer said Monday.
Peter Strzok worked at the FBI for more than 20 years and was discovered to send the messages that suggested he wanted to prevent the election Trump to the White House.
FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich overruled his agency’s recommendation to suspend Strzok, with a demotion, and ordered his firing Friday.
The veteran agent played an important role as one of the lead investigators on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election as well as a part of the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server during her time as Secretary of State.
Yet, this is not the first time his career had been under scrutiny.
Last year, FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed Strzok from the probe into Russian interference, after discovering that he had been having an affair with former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
Messages between Strzok and Page had provocative exchanges about Trump and the election.
Strzok testified before a congressional hearing in July in which he said he did not allow his personal views to affect his professional actions.
“At no time, in any of these texts, did those personal beliefs ever enter into the realm of any action I took, ” Strzok told lawmakers.
