FBI investigator Peter Strzok’s text referring to “an insurance policy” against President Trump was reportedly arguing that the agency should probe allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Strzok was demoted by FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller after he discovered anti-Trump texts exchanged between Strzok and fellow FBI official Lisa Page. While many of the messages were critical of Trump, there was one message in particular that raised eyebrows and caused debate:
“I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in [Deputy Director Andrew McCabe’s] office—that there’s no way [Trump] gets elected—but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40…”
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the “insurance policy” was not a secret plan, but pushing the Russia probe — a probe that is still ongoing a year into Trump’s first term:
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The agent didn’t intend to suggest a secret plan to harm the candidate but rather address a colleague who believed the Federal Bureau of Investigation could take its time because Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was certain to win the election, the people said.
Hillary Clinton did not win the election, and the FBI has come under increasing scrutiny over concerns about impartiality in its investigations of Hillary Clinton’s emails and the Russia probe since the release of the text.
According to the Journal, Strzok was arguing they could not take a more careful approach, as Trump could win:
His text was meant to convey his belief that the investigation couldn’t afford to take a more measured approach because Mr. Trump could very well win the election, they said. It would be better to be aggressive and gather evidence quickly, he believed, because some of Mr. Trump’s associates could land administration jobs and it was important to know if they had colluded with Russia.
The Journal reports that he had emphasized his seriousness a few days earlier, texting Page: “OMG I CANNOT BELIEVE WE ARE SERIOUSLY LOOKING AT THESE ALLEGATIONS AND THE PERVASIVE CONNECTIONS.”