Strzok on collusion: “There’s no big there there”

Sen. Ron Johnson calls attention to what he calls a “jaw droping” text message from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page. The message, dated May 17, 2017, reads:

You and I both know the odds are nothing. If I thought it was likely, I’d be there no question. I hesitate in part because of my gut sense and concern that there’s no big there there.

What was Strzok talking about when he said “there’s no big there there.” According to Sen. Johnson, he was talking about alleged collusion between Donald Trump and Russia. Where was it that Strzok would be “no question” if there were a big there there. According to Johnson, he was talking about Robert Mueller’s team.

In other words, Strzok had reservations about joining Mueller’s team (although ultimately he did join) because he doubted there was anything significant to the claim that Trump colluded with Russia. As Sen. Johnson puts it:

Peter Strzok, who was the FBI deputy assistant director of the counterintelligence division, the man who had a plan to do something because he just couldn’t abide Donald Trump being president, is saying that his gut sense is that there’s no big there there when it comes to the Mueller special counsel investigation.

Strzok’s email, sent two days after Mueller launched his investigation, is, among other things, confirmation that Rod Rosenstein never should have appointed a special counsel. Absent good reason to believe there was any “big there there” with respect to “collusion,” it was shockingly irresponsible to resort to a special counsel, much less to give him virtual carte blanche to investigate.

I suspect it was Mueller’s carte blanche that induced Strzok to cast aside his reservations and enlist in Mueller’s team. Strzok is a clever fellow. He was right to believe there is no big there there and right to join his fellow Trump haters on Team Mueller anyway.

Via Chuck Ross at the Daily Caller.

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