Firing Of Peter Strzock Is A Cowardly Capitulation To Dotard and GOP Quislings

Peter Strzok - 22 year veteran and former head of the FBI counterintelligence unit, the latest victim of Trump's covert purge on the Mueller investigation.


"One by one, the law enforcement and counter intelligence leadership actually in charge of the (Mueller) investigation - that has produced indictments - have been peeled off, destroyed in their careers. Director James Comey, Deputy Director Andy McCabe and now Peter Strzok's firing - the head of the FBI's counter intelligence division, added to the list."  Rachel Maddow last night.

We've  known for sometime that 22 year FBI veteran Peter Strzok has been a political punching bag for the Right's Trump-protecting extremists.  We knew that but didn't believe his own agency would kowtow to the traitors and toss him under the bus. But now with his firing  it's clear the Bureau totally capitulated to Trump and his GOP quislings who grilled Strzok in House hearings last month. The claim that  the firing was "by the book" is pure, unadulterated hog swill - not fit for intelligent consumption.

Recall in his stellar appearance last month, and despite all the wacko, unhinged Reeptard assaults on Strzok and his character -  even at one point threatening him with "contempt of congress" if he didn't answer a specific question (when he was forbidden to do so by the FBI)-   he kept his cool. In fact, more than kept his cool, in powerful, articulate rebuttals,  basically gutting all the GOP mean-spirited minnows with each response. Oh, as well as the riled rowdy Southern turd Trey Gowdy,

described aptly by one blogger as  "dripping so much venom against Strzok he needed a bedpan under his foaming lips". 

The ostensible PR reason for firing Strzok was an exchange of text messages with FBI colleague and lawyer Lisa Page. Page wrote in ome frenzied text: “[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!” Whereupon Strzok replied: “No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it."  

Indeed, Strzok gave an exhaustive explanation for the texts which fell totally within the purview of first amendment protections - which evidently his own Bureau doesn't believe in. He told the gathered lawmakers at the hearing:


"In terms of the text, 'we will stop it', you need to understand that was written off the cuff and in response to a series of events that dated from insulting an immigrant family whose son was a war hero.  And my presumption, based on this disgusting behavior, is that the American population would not allow someone demonstrating that behavior to become president of the United States. It was in no way, unequivocally, with any suggestion,  that me or the FBI would take any action to improperly impact the electoral process.  For any candidate. So I take great disagreement to your assertion to what that text was or wasn't.  That was clearly a statement made in jest and using hyperbole, realizing that millions of Americans were likely to vote for candidate Trump and I acknowledge that is absolutely in their right and that is what makes our democracy the process that it is.

But to expect to parse down a text like it's some sort of contract or talk is simply not consistent with my or most people's use of text messaging.

I can assure you, Mr. Chairman, at no time in any of these texts did those personal beliefs enter into the realm of any action I took. Furthermore, this isn't just me sitting here, so you don't have to take my word for it.  At every step, at every investigative decision, there were multiple layers of people above me, assistant director, deputy director, director of the F.B.I., and multiple layers of people below me, section chiefs, unit chiefs and analysts, all of whom were involved in all of these decisions. They would not tolerate any improper behavior in me anymore than I would tolerate it in them. That is who we are as the FBI. And the suggestion that I, in some dark chamber in the F.B.I., would somehow cast aside all of these procedures, all of these safeguards and somehow be able to do this is astounding to me.  It simply couldn’t happen. And the proposition that that is going on and it might occur anywhere in the FBI deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society. The effectiveness of their mission and it is deeply destructive."

And  his most damning indictment of the day:

“I understand we are living in a political era in which insults and insinuation often drown out honesty and integrity. I have the utmost respect for Congress’s oversight role, but I truly believe that today’s hearing is just another victory notch in Putin’s belt and another milestone in our enemies’ campaign to tear America apart.'

Let me note here the inspector general’s office found no evidence that the attitudes reflected in the texts affected investigatory work, but said the pair’s text messages “cast a cloud” over the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.  Trump and his allies nevertheless blasted Strzok, making him the poster boy for their claim that the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election is a “witch-hunt”. I suspected then, as now, the FBI acted precipitously in response - both to cut ties with Andrew McCabe, and now Strzok.

In Strzok's case the firing never should have been, and represents a historical miscarriage of justice by an agency that ought to have had his back. Yet it now appears to have knuckled under to the kooks and extremists of the GOP. Strzok’s lawyer,  Aitan Goelman,  said FBI deputy director David Bowdich ordered the firing on Friday – overruling the bureau’s office of professional responsibility and going against the recommendation of the career FBI official (Candace M. Will)  responsible for employee discipline.  Ms. Will  had said Strzok should be suspended for 60 days and stripped of his supervisory responsibilities.

Did Trump or one of his henchmen get to Bowdich? Did Devin Nunes or any of his gang play a role?  If so how? Inquiring minds want to know and there are many - especially after a super patriot is taken down.  In the words of Aitan Goelman, Strzok's lawyer:

“The decision to terminate was taken in response to political pressure, and to punish Special Agent Strzok for political speech protected by the first amendment, not on a fair and independent examination of the facts.”

Predictably, the Traitor Doh-Turd exulted over the firing, dispatching the typical excrement peculiar to this  lying thug:

“Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI – finally. The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer. Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped? It is a total Hoax. No Collusion, No Obstruction – I just fight back!” 

Why wouldn't he exult, given the Mueller investigation's ancillary support leaders have been "peeled off" as Maddow noted (top quote).  As she puts it clearly then, deputy director David Bowdich has been an accessory after the fact in helping to carry out Trump's desires to eliminate the critical FBI staff as Mueller's noose closes in. There can be no other interpretation: it was a political hit job.  Don't believe me? Look at the list of those disposed of, shown in one graphic last night on Maddow's show, i.e. the corroborating witnesses for former Director Comey:

FBI Director - James Comey (FIRED)

FBI Deputy Director - Andrew McCabe (FIRED)

FBI Chief of Staff - James Rybicki  (Quit Under Fire) 

FBI General Counsel - James Baker (Quit Under Fire) 

FBI Deputy Director & Chief Counsel - Lisa Page (Quit Under Fire) 

FBI Exec, Director for National Security - Carl Ghattas (Quit Under Fire) 

FBI Assoc, Deputy Director: David Bowdich (STILL there) 

And we see that Bowdich, the only one still with a job, is the one who disposed of Strzok. Coincidence? You tell me.   As Maddow put it:

"With all of these guys picked off now, who's going to back up James Comey? Once you work your way through all the witnesses who might testify otherwise ...well, then you're free to tell any story you want regarding what happened between the president and the FBI Director."

In other words, one crucial thread of Mueller's investigation (to do with obstruction of justice) has been gutted from within, i.e. by domestic enemies. Bowdich? Don't make me laugh. He will probably be given the same ultimatum as with Strzok: "Do what I say or you will be gone next!"

WHO is the mysterious "I"? I'd place my bet on AG Jefferson Beauregard Sessions. Doing the traitor's dirty work from behind the scenes, when he's supposedly recused.   

One positive aspect of all this is that Peter Strzok's  GoFundMe page., to cover his legal expenses, has now topped a quarter million dollars. At least We the People are aware of the side of justice the latest victim of Trump's purge is on. And it is emphatically not the same side as Trump or his henchmen.

Patriot Peter Strzok Guts Gowdy & House GOP Quislings In Fiery Joint Committee Hearing

Patriot and FBI agent  Peter Strzok prepares to defend himself and the Bureau in the GOP 'lion's den'.....errrr,  circus, yesterday.

"They say, Mr. Strzok, you  are at the heart a deep state conspiracy to stop Donald Trump. But to make this claim they have to ignore the fact you were an equal opportunity insulter of politicians. You had choice negative words for democrats and independents, like Bernie Sanders, who you called an idiot. Like Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley who you called a freak show.  But hey, there is a first amendment here in America and you can still insult government officials without being thrown into jail or held in contempt of congress, at least by our side."  Rep. Jamie Raskin (D- MD) yesterday

Quisling:  def.  A traitor who collaborates with an enemy occupying their country.

Yesterday, an actual American patriot - Peter Strzok - stepped into the debased Joint House Intelligence- Judiciary committees circus and faced down a host of GOP quislings seeking to continue to besmirch his reputation even as they discredit the Mueller Russia probe. But in terms of honesty, integrity and upholding our nation's principles, this was no contest. By the end, Strzok was still composed and standing while the quislings and poltroons had been exposed as the vile filth they are - only fit to be hung, drawn and quartered then burned to cinders.  That is what used to be done to traitors and their enablers in Old England.  In the US of A now, Russian assets have the GOP enabling them, and these "hearings" disclosed the extent to which the House Repukes have kowtowed to that mandate - as they sought to take down a patriot. More on that to come!

For sheer spectacle you couldn't assemble a more loathsome, vitriolic gaggle of  Republican reps,  whose constituents ought to be ashamed to have them speaking in their name.  From chairman Bozo Bob Goodlatte, to the deformed Tea Party gnome  Louis Gohmert, to Trump's barking  lapdog Trey Gowdy -  who "dripped so much venom against Strzok he needed a bedpan under his foaming lips"* - we beheld a circus extraordinaire.  Gowdy himself tried to challenge Strzok on his late-night texts to Lisa Page and ended up looking as goofy, desperate, fake and pathetic as Gerald Ford after he tried to alter the autopsy report on JFK's back wounds.

* (In the words of blogger P.M. Carpenter)

  As Matt Miller put it, "this hearing was an appalling embarrassment".

Recall Peter Strzok is the embattled F.B.I. agent  - the Bureau's  No. 1 counter intelligence specialist-  who oversaw the opening of the Russia investigation and has since had to endure seeing his reputation dragged through the media mud by the Repuke traitor  slime.  This was after they snared his personal text communications with then FBI lawyer Lisa Page. 

The Reeptards, who fully lived up to that monicker, tried desperately to tie Strzok's  texts to having a "plan of action" to take down Trump.  Goofy Gowdy seemed especially incensed and self-righteous when Strzok replied to  one of Lisa Page's texts with a curt  "We'll stop him."  (See  Strzok's extended response below in an exchange with Gowdy).

Never processing that Strzok had the power to make one phone call in the fall of 2016 to blow the Russia connections to Trump wide open and sink his candidacy one time,  but didn't.  Not long after candidate Trump looked into a camera and begged Putin to hack Hillary's emails it was Peter Strzok who helped open the counterintelligence probe to ascertain whether a foreign adversary engaged in a criminal conspiracy to sabotage a U.S. election.

Even though Strzok wasn't a fan of Trump and despite sending derogatory texts, Strzok held his hand and never blurted a word, even as then FBI head Comey dumped all over Hillary. Indeed, the GOP House clowns in such high dudgeon over Strzok's "guilty" texts yesterday ought to have been cleaning his wingtips with their tongues.  I mean, in the midst of  Comey's antics and despite tons of information forming about perhaps the most explosive investigation in American history, Strzok never leaked one single word.  That's how much they owe him for actually bringing the reign of their orange master into manifestation.

As Strzok put it out there  yesterday:

"In the summer of 2016 I was one of only a few people who knew the details of Russian election interference and its possible connections with members of the Trump campaign. This information had the potential to quite possibly derail and defeat Mr. Trump but hte thought of expressing that or exposing that information never crossed my mind."

  That  solemn counsel showed Peter Strzok was keeping whatever personal animus he had toward the Orange ape to himself. Hence,  when he told the assembled GOOPr misfits that his texting had no bearing on his duties as an agent, he was telling the absolute truth.  But as usual, these fucktards were  too committed to protecting their treasonous master to let up.   Even Tea bagger Jim Jordan (near the center of an Ohio Buckeye sex scandal) had the balls to show up and try to deliver his 2 cents of insults to protect Traitor Trump - who soon will be in a 1 on 1 meet with Vlad Putin, with no one else allowed (except translators) and no notes to be taken.

 What Janice and I most appreciated is that despite all the hollow, howler GOOP efforts, snark and posturing,  Pete Strzok more than held his ground. In fact, in a relentlessly calm and reasoned tone - articulate and detailed to a fault- he reduced these poltroons to the state of impotent  buffoons.  One such response to one GOP Inquisitor:

“Let me be clear, unequivocally and under oath: not once in my 26 years of defending my nation did my personal opinions impact any official action I took."

And later, on reflection of the vitriolic show circus in which he'd found himself: "As someone who loves this country and cherishes its ideals, it is profoundly painful to watch and even worse to play a part in this."

Not once, but multiple times, Strzok mounted an aggressive personal defense, rejecting accusations that he let his private political views bias his official actions and labeling Republican attacks on him “another victory notch in Putin’s belt.”  (See below)

The Reepo quislings were  either too dumb or too distracted by their own hubris to see he was effectively calling them traitors. Quislings - after Vidkun Quisling -  one of the original traitors

Janice's ire particularly went through the roof when the odious, reeking of rhetorical vomit, Louis Gohmert (TX) took his turn to yap:

“’The disgrace that this man has done....the disgrace...and it won't be recaptured anytime soon, because of the damage you've done to the j-j-jutsis system!  Now, I've talked to FBI agents around the country. You’ve embarrassed them. You’ve embarrassed yourself. And I can’t help but wonder when I see you looking there with a little smirk, how many times did you look so innocent into your wife’s eye and lie to her about Lisa Page?”

Janice screamed unmentionable epithets to do with Gohmert's questionable species' origins and then maybe how a live vivisection might be needed to confirm his human bonafides. But her initial rage quickly subsided when one of the Dems - Rep. Bonnie Watson- Coleman, chided Gohmert: "You need your medication!"  One of Chris Hayes' guests (former Republican Rep. Mickey Edwards)  on All In was even more blunt,  opining: "He needs to be locked up!"  Hmmm....where is Dr. Pat Bannister when we need her to confine the deformed, backward little tea bagger gnome to a rubber room at Jenkins' Mental Hospital, in Barbados?

Despite all the wacko, unhinged Reeptard assaults on Strzok and his character, even at one point threatening him with "contempt of congress" if he didn't answer a specific question (when he was forbidden to do so by the FBI), he kept his cool. In fact, more than kept his cool, in powerful, articulate rebuttals,  basically gutting all the GOP mean-spirited minnows with each response.

Make no mistake there was no more vitriolic viper and  Trump Traitor toady on display than the animated, bipedal cow manure from South Carolina, Trey Gowdy:.

 Gowdy in performance mode, trying to get the better of Pete Strzok.

After numerous misrepresentations of Pete's  statements, he could take no more. This particular exchange is illustrative of his integrity and refusal to be slimed by a maggot like Gowdy:

Gowdy: "Did you write that text?"

Strzok: "I did write it, sir. A political expression, I was engaging in hyperbole. "

Gowdy: "Were you under duress?"

Dem Rep: "It was asked and answered over and over again,"

Gowdy: "Your testimony is that Bob Mueller did not kick you off because of the content of your texts, He kicked you off because of some appearance that he was worried about."

Strzok: "It is not my understanding that he kicked me off because of any bias. It was done based on the appearance. If you want to represent what he said accurately, I'm happy to answer that question. But I don't appreciate what was originally said being changed."

Gowdy: "I don't give a damn what you appreciate, agent Strzok. I don't appreciate having an FBI agent with an unprecedented level of animus working on two independent investigations in 2016."

Still unwilling to acknowledge that with one phone call to the media,  Strzok could have busted the snot out of Dotard's campaign and sunk it as effectively as Comey sunk Hillary's with his blurtations.

After Gowdy's outburst about animus the NY Dem Rep called out for the witness to be able to answer, and this was Strzok's reply:

Srrzok: "In terms of the text, 'we will stop it', you need to understand that was written off the cuff and in response to a series of events that dated from insulting an immigrant family whose son was a war hero.  And my presumption, based on this disgusting behavior, is that the American population would not allow someone demonstrating that behavior to become president of the United States. It was in no way, unequivocally, with any suggestion,  that me or the FBI would take any action to improperly impact the electoral process.  For any candidate. So I take great disagreement to your assertion to what that text was or wasn't.  That was clearly a statement made in jest and using hyperbole, realizing that millions of Americans were likely to vote for candidate Trump and I acknowledge that is absolutely in their right and that is what makes our democracy the process that it is.

But to expect to parse down a text like it's some sort of contract or talk is simply not consistent with my or most people's use of text messaging.

I can assure you, Mr. Chairman, at no time in any of these texts did those personal beliefs enter into the realm of any action I took. Furthermore, this isn't just me sitting here, so you don't have to take my word for it.  At every step, at every investigative decision, there were multiple layers of people above me, assistant director, deputy director, director of the F.B.I., and multiple layers of people below me, section chiefs, unit chiefs and analysts, all of whom were involved in all of these decisions. They would not tolerate any improper behavior in me anymore than I would tolerate it in them. That is who we are as the FBI. And the suggestion that I, in some dark chamber in the F.B.I., would somehow cast aside all of these procedures, all of these safeguards and somehow be able to do this is astounding to me.  It simply couldn’t happen. And the proposition that that is going on and it might occur anywhere in the FBI deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society. The effectiveness of their mission and it is deeply destructive."”

And  his most damning indictment of the day:

“I understand we are living in a political era in which insults and insinuation often drown out honesty and integrity. I have the utmost respect for Congress’s oversight role, but I truly believe that today’s hearing is just another victory notch in Putin’s belt and another milestone in our enemies’ campaign to tear America apart.'

At the end Janice screamed with unconcealed delight: "That's the way, Pete! Put these shitheads in their place!"  My language was a tad more colorful.

The House Committee Democrats in general did a creditable job  running interference for Strzok, using parliamentary points of order and other tactics to protect him from Republican prying.  For example, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, addressed Mr. Strzok at one point:

“All of these inquiries about your political opinions as revealed by these text messages are irrelevant and wrong, unless it can be shown — as it has not been shown, as was found definitively not to be the case in the Hillary investigation and has not been shown in the Russia investigation — that they affected any decisions in the investigation,”

But the Republican goons and clowns were determined from the get go to provide cover for their traitor master and thus were intent on painting Strzok as so seething with contempt for Trump and his supporters that he meddled with the campaign.  These degenerates also, by implication, sought to paint the agency’s investigation of the president as motivated by a similar anti-Dotard animus.

Strzok, to his credit, was defiant and  just as intent on defending the F.B.I.’s actions, the integrity of the Russia investigation and his own behavior - as he should have been. And wifey and I cheered as loudly each time Peter got his say as we would for our respective NFL teams, especially each time he took the 'wood' to Gowdy or the chief quisling Chairman, Bozo Bob Goodlatte  A guy who could no more walk and chew gum at the same time than another Reep Poltroon, Gerry Ford.  E.g. "Point of order, Mr. Chairman!"  Goodlatte: "Uh, uh, that is not an appealable ruling...."   "But I require the vote! Is it a sustainable ruling!"  "The g-gentleman from New York has not cited a rule of the House that is being violated therefore it is not a point of order".  (Transl. I can make my own rules sitting in this chair so fuck you!)

Some of the comments in the wake of this 10-plus hour House hearings farce were noteworthy and included:

 Matt Miller (former DOJ spokesman):

"You know I've sat through a lot of hearings of these two committees (Judiciary and Intelligence) which met jointly today and on a good day they're pretty bad. This was not a good day. This was one of the most embarrassing moments I've ever seen from either of these two committees.

It was remarkable in their treatment of this witness today. They started out by threatening him with criminal contempt charges. Referring him to the Department of Justice for criminal charges because he wouldn't answer questions where he was ordered by the FBI - where he is still employed - not to answer. It ended with each GOP member spending all five minutes of their time to attack him and then not letting him respond..

And for all their attacks, they weren't on any search for any truth, or any justice. They wanted a public whipping boy that they could pin these unfounded accusations of bias on. But the problem was
they were never able to connect his very clear feelings about Donald Trump expressed in his texts with any actions he took at the FBI. They were never able to make that critical link that showed that some of the things he felt about Donald Trump influenced anything he did.

And as he eloquently stated, he had the power in the fall of 2016, with one phone call, to derail Donald Trump's campaign and probably prevent him from becoming president. He was one of the only people in the country with that power and he refrained from exercising it.  This is the logical fallacy at the heart of their (GOP) conspiracy that he exposed."


Malcolm Nance: Former Intelligence agent and security specialist:

"I find it fascinating to juxtapose agent Strzok's behavior with that of his boss, James Comey, who should have kept his mouth shut, but didn't. SO we have a guy, in charge of the counterintelligence division, who understood the severity of what was going on. On what could be the single most important investigation in American history and he kept the faith of the Bureau.

You know who this man (Strzok) is? That's America's top spy hunter. He's the man who finds enemies in the United States, whether they are members of Isis, or Al Qaeda or from hostile intelligence agencies.  You have to understand, I think it's important for this administration to take him down  because they're pretty close to foreign intelligence adversaries. We know because they've spoken with those agents.

The Russians must be very, very pleased today."

Former CIA chief John Brennan:

"It's good Peter Strzok can now talk publicly about this and the American people can see his professionalism, as well as what I think is his integrity.  We're all imperfect human beings and I think that while Peter would like to be able to have back some of the actions that he took, there is no indication in anything he said or the Inspector General's report that any personal views had any impact on his professional responsibilities. I think he was able to handle those questions in a very professional manner.

Here's Pete Strzok who's done more for our national security in the last twenty plus years then any of those members of congress put together. He is and has been an outstanding FBI agent and counterintelligence officer who has been responsible personally and directly for the many of the counterintelligence successes this country has enjoyed.

I  was very pleased to see Pete speak very openly about this but it also demonstrated some of the craven politics right now, that unfortunately has infected the national security,  law enforcement realm"

Joyce Vance - Former U.S. Attorney on the GOOP threats to hold Strzok in contempt if he didn't go to his personal lawyer instead of the FBI lawyer.

"Well this was just an exercise in silliness. So they're saying the FBI lawyers can talk to his personal lawyers and then he can talk to his personal lawyers. But he can't talk to the FBI lawyers directly.

Look, this is serious business, about protecting national security related information. And information about the integrity of ongoing investigations. And Strzok should have been permitted to consult with FBI lawyers.

The efforts by congress to engage in this rigamarole designed to make political points at the expense of the FBI's credibility and the important work that they're doing here I thought was a moment of embarrassment  for this body."

Frank Figliuzzi: Former FBI Assistant Director for Counter Intelligence:

"The Counterintelligence professional in the FBI who are watching have probably come to the same conclusion that I have: that there is only one person who can sit and watch this travesty it and his name is Vladimir Putin. The Russian intelligence services have as their goal to sow discord and disarray in our institutions, and that's exactly what we were watching today.

My second thought, as a former counterintelligence agent, was the complete disregard for the sanctity of a pending criminal  investigation. Something we saw today when they're telling Pete Strzok you can't  to consult with FBI counsel to ensure that you are not revealing,  obstructing, or in any way impeding this investigation. That was a travesty!"

Janice and I concur with all the preceding takes and I personally believe my Revolutionary War ancestors (Jacob and Conrad Brumbaugh) would heartily welcome Peter Strzok into their ranks of real - as opposed to paper - patriots, based on the robust defense of liberty, free speech and the Constitution he delivered to self-proclaimed GOP quislings yesterday.

[Read Peter Strzok’s opening statement.]