Lisa Page is upset.
The FBI legal counsel who is at the very center of the FBI scandal that has supposedly non-political bureaucrats repeatedly acting as anti-Trump political agents now feels she is – wait for it – a victim.
In a soft-and-friendly chat with The Daily Beast, the headline reads: Lisa Page Speaks: “There’s No Fathomable Way I Have Committed Any Crime At All”
The article, written by Molly Jong-Fast drips with sympathy for Page. As here:
“Page, 39, is thin and athletic. She speaks in an exceedingly confident, clear, and lawyerly way. But having been through the MAGA meat grinder has clearly worn her down, not unlike the other women I’ve met who’ve been subjected to the president’s abuse. She is just slightly crumbly around the edges the way the president’s other victims are.”
According to Page, the mocking she received from the President when he read aloud some of the texts between herself and fellow FBIer and alleged lover Peter Strzok was the straw that broke her camel’s back. She’s now an officially self-declared victim who did absolutely nothing wrong. Honest. Really.
Right.
For a reality check, take a look at this March 22nd story at Fox, written by Gregg Re and Catherine Herridge. The headline:
FBI clashed with DOJ over potential ‘bias’ of source for surveillance warrant: McCabe-Page texts
This news report says, in part, this – with bold print for emphasis supplied.
“Just nine days before the FBI applied for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to surveil a top Trump campaign aide, bureau officials were battling with a senior Justice Department official who had “continued concerns” about the “possible bias” of a source pivotal to the application, according to internal text messages obtained by Fox News.
The 2016 messages, sent between former FBI lawyer Lisa Page and then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, also reveal that bureau brass circulated at least two anti-Trump blog articles, including a Lawfare blog post sent shortly after Election Day that called Trump possibly “among the major threats to the security of the country.”
And now she comes forth to claim victim status? Oh please.
Another article, sent by Page in July 2016 as the FBI’s counterintelligence probe into Russian election interference was kicking off, flatly called Trump a “useful idiot” for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Page told McCabe that then-FBI Director James Comey had “surely” read that piece. Both articles were authored in whole or part by Benjamin Wittes, a Comey friend.
Further, the texts show that on Sept. 12, 2016, Page forwarded to McCabe some “unsolicited comments” calling then-GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy a “total d–k.” Gowdy, at the time, was grilling FBI congressional affairs director Jason Herring at a hearing on the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email investigation.”
Not to be forgotten was this from the Justice Department’s Inspector General in his report from June 2018. Here is just a fraction of what that report had to say about Lisa Page, with bold print for emphasis supplied:
“In particular, we were concerned about text messages exchanged by FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, Special Counsel to the Deputy Director, that potentially indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations.”
….The text messages and instant messages sent by these employees included statements of hostility toward then-candidate Trump and statements of support for candidate Clinton, and several appeared to mix political opinions with discussions about the Midyear investigation.
When Lisa Page, the lover of Peter Strzok, talks about being “crushed”, and how innocent she is, ask her to read Peter’s “Insurance Policy” text, to her, just in case Hillary loses. Also, why were the lovers text messages scrubbed after he left Mueller. Where are they Lisa?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2019
We found that the conduct of these five FBI employees brought discredit to themselves, sowed doubt about the FBI’s handling of the Midyear investigation, and impacted the reputation of the FBI.
…We were deeply troubled by text messages exchanged between Strzok and Page that potentially indicated or created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations. Most of the text messages raising such questions pertained to the Russia investigation, which was not a part of this review. Nonetheless, when one senior FBI official, Strzok, who was helping to lead the Russia investigation at the time, conveys in a text message to another senior FBI official, Page, “No. No, he won’t. We’ll stop it” in response to her question “[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!”, it is not only indicative of a biased state of mind but, even more seriously, implies a willingness to take official action to impact the presidential candidate’s electoral prospects. This is antithetical to the core values of the FBI and the Department of Justice.”
Got all that? Lisa Page, according to the Inspector General of the Department of Justice:
- “Created the appearance that investigative decisions were impacted by bias or improper considerations.”
- Acted in her job in a manner that “is antithetical to the core values of the FBI and the Department of Justice.”
And now she comes forth to claim victim status?
Oh please.