Evan Vucci/AP
Peter Strzok testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 12, 2018.
CNN
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Former FBI agents Peter Struzk and Lisa Page settled a lawsuit over the Department of Justice’s release of their text messages in 2018 by paying the government a total of $2 million.
According to the settlement agreement obtained by CNN, former agent Strtzke will receive $1.2 million and former FBI attorney Page will receive $800,000.
Strtzke and Page finalized a settlement with the Justice Department in court papers on Friday after they alleged the department violated privacy laws by releasing to the media documents containing correspondence critical of Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.
“While this verdict proves my innocence, I am hopeful that the law enforcement community will never again politicize the lives of its employees,” Page said in a statement submitted through his lawyer.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the matter.
Strzok served in a senior role on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team, but was fired after an internal investigation found he had exchanged messages with Page, with whom he was having an affair, that could be interpreted as indicating political bias. Page, who served briefly on Mueller’s team, resigned as FBI counsel after the messages were revealed. The release of the messages provided political ammunition for Donald Trump’s opposition to the Russia investigation during his presidency.
Strzok is suing the department over his firing under the Trump administration, and other allegations are pending.
“This ruling is an important step in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete. While it is important to Pete, it also protects the privacy rights of all government employees,” Struzk’s lawyer, Aitan Goleman, said in a news release.
“We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that public employees in the future are protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics,” Goleman continued.
This headline and article have been updated with additional details.
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