Oh My: New Texts Between Disgraced FBI Agent And Mistress Possibly Show Attempt To Collude With FISA Judge

Matt Vespa Mar 16, 2018

Whether there was collusion between FBI agent Peter Strzok, bureau lawyer Lisa Page, and a FISA judge remains to be seen, but the optics certainly are not good.

The Federalist obtained texts between Strzok and Page, reportedly showing that the two planned to collude with Judge Rudolph Contreras after his appointment to the FISA Court. The publication also wrote that these exchanges were deliberately hidden from Congress [emphasis mine]:

Newly discovered text messages obtained by The Federalist reveal two key federal law enforcement officials conspired to meet with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) judge who presided over the federal case against Michael Flynn. The judge, Rudolph Contreras, was recused from handling the case just days after accepting the guilty plea of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser who was charged with making false statements to federal investigators.
[…]
“Rudy is on the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]!” Page excitedly texted Strzok on July 25, 2016. “Did you know that? Just appointed two months ago.” 

“I did,” Strzok responded. “I need to get together with him.” 

“[He] said he’d gotten on a month or two ago at a graduation party we were both at.” 

Contreras was appointed to the top surveillance court on May 19, 2016, federal records show. 

The pair even schemed about how to set up a cocktail or dinner party just so Contreras, Strzok, and Page could speak without arousing suspicion that they were colluding. Strzok expressed concern that a one-on-one meeting between the two men might require Contreras’ recusal from matters in which Strzok was involved. 

“[REDACTED] suggested a social setting with others would probably be better than a one on one meeting,” Strzok told Page. “I’m sorry, I’m just going to have to invite you to that cocktail party.” 

“Have to come up with some other work people cover for action,” Strzok added.
“Why more?” Page responded. “Six is a perfectly fine dinner party.” 

It is not known whether the proposed party happened as planned.

It’s all part of a long saga of impropriety and unethical behavior concerning top officials at the FBI. Strzok was a top counterintelligence agent at the bureau, being involved in two highly sensitive investigations in 2016. One involving whether former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mishandled classified information sent through her unauthorized and unsecure email server, the other signing off on the counterintelligence probe into whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians; the latter of which is now being headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.........To Read More....