Strzok strikes back

The FBI fired disgraced agent Peter Strzok last year for violating bureau policies. Yesterday he filed a complaint in District of Columbia federal district court seeking reinstatement, backpay, and damages. The AP covers Strzok’s lawsuit here, the New York Times here, the Wall Street Journal here. I have embedded the 27-page complaint below via Scribd.

Strzok’s lawsuit asserts three claims. He alleges that (1) the FBI’s termination of his employment violated his First Amendment rights; (2) the FBI’s termination of his employment violated his right to due process; and (3) the public disclosure of his text messages to Congress violated the Privacy Act. The first two are constitutional claims; the third is a statutory claim.

I will refrain here from commenting on the factual or legal merits of Strzok’s claims. I will add only this comment. The thousands of text messages Strzok exchanged with his FBI mistress during the 2016 campaign revealed an extraordinary animus against candidate Trump. The messages opened a window onto the pervasive sickness of FBI leadership under James Comey. Putting Comey in a category unto himself, I can’t think of another agent since the conviction of Robert Hanssen in 2001 who has so disgraced the FBI. The shamelessness underlying Strzok’s lawsuit is perhaps its most notable feature.

Strzok v. Barr by Washington Examiner on Scribd

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