WASHINGTON The embattled F.B.I. agent who oversaw the opening of the Russia investigation mounted an aggressive personal defense on Thursday, rejecting accusations that he let his private political views bias his official actions and labeling Republican attacks on him another victory notch in Putins belt.
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, the agent, Peter Strzok, told House lawmakers investigating what they say is evidence of rampant bias at the top levels of the F.B.I.
In his first public comments, he concluded his prepared remarks with a pointed broadside against his antagonizers.
I understand we are living in a political era in which insults and insinuation often drown out honesty and integrity, Mr. Strzok said, continuing: I have the utmost respect for Congresss oversight role, but I truly believe that todays hearing is just another victory notch in Putins belt and another milestone in our enemies campaign to tear America apart.
He concluded: As someone who loves this country and cherishes its ideals, it is profoundly painful to watch and even worse to play a part in.
Mr. Strzok, a career agent, played a pivotal role in two of the bureaus most politically fraught cases: the F.B.I.s investigation into Hillary Clintons email practices as secretary of state and a separate inquiry into Russias attempts to interfere in the 2016 election and its interactions with the Trump campaign.
Mr. Strzok has come under intense scrutiny since the Justice Departments inspector general discovered thousands of text messages that he exchanged with a senior F.B.I. lawyer, Lisa Page, colorfully disparaging Mr. Trump.
In one exchange, Ms. Page, who also worked on both investigations, said to Mr. Strzok that Trump is not ever going to become president, right?
No. No he wont. Well stop it, Mr. Strzok replied.
Mr. Strzok said on Thursday that he deeply regretted the messages, but that they did not amount to more than private political beliefs. He said a broader look at his texts would show disparaging remarks toward all the candidates in the 2016 campaign.
In the summer of 2016, we had an urgent need to protect the integrity of an American presidential election from a hostile foreign power determined to weaken and divide the United States of America, he was to say. This investigation is not politically motivated, it is not a witch hunt, it is not a hoax.
House Republicans and Mr. Trump have seized on those texts, charging that they undercut the integrity of the Russia investigation, which has since been taken over by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Republican lawmakers immediately confronted the agent with volumes of such messages on Thursday.
Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, promptly dismissed Mr. Strzoks defenses, saying that the agent has a most unusual and largely self-serving definition of bias that had undermined the fair administration of justice.
He thinks calling someone destabilizing isnt bias, Mr. Gowdy said, referencing texts sent by Mr. Strzok. He thinks protecting the country from someone he hasnt even begun to investigate isnt bias. He thinks promising to stop someone he is supposed to be fairly investigating from becoming ever president isnt bias.
Mr. Gowdy said later, That is prejudging guilt. It is prejudging punishment. And it is textbook bias.
A former Army officer, Mr. Strzok has worked at the F.B.I. for more than two decades. He rose quickly through its ranks, earning a reputation within the bureau as one of its most savvy and reliable counterintelligence agents. It was that reputation and increasingly senior positions that landed him on the teams investigating both Mrs. Clinton and eventually Mr. Trump.
The inspector generals report was unsparing in its criticism of Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page, but found no evidence that their personal views had affected prosecutorial decisions in the Clinton case. The inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, continues to investigate the F.B.I.s handling of key aspects of the Russia case.
Mr. Strzok, who spent a contentious day locked behind closed doors for an interview with the same lawmakers late last month, did not have kind words for the Republicans leading the committee.
The committees have also demanded testimony from Ms. Page, issuing a subpoena for her to appear in private for an interview and threatening her with contempt when she did not meet that deadline. Lawyers for Ms. Page said she was happy to testify, but only after the F.B.I. allowed her to review her notes and relevant case files. Two Republican chairmen issued an ultimatum on Wednesday that Ms. Page either testify alongside Mr. Strzok on Thursday or appear in private on Friday.
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, the agent, Peter Strzok, told House lawmakers investigating what they say is evidence of rampant bias at the top levels of the F.B.I.
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In one exchange, Ms. Page, who also worked on both investigations, said to Mr. Strzok that Trump is not ever going to become president, right?
