Civic Register
| 2.9.18

Trump: New FBI Texts are a 'Bombshell.’ Are They?

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What’s the story?

On Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted:

The president was referring to a text exchange between FBI Agent Peter Strzok and his lover, FBI lawyer Lisa Page. Fox News reported that Page texted Strzok there was a meeting at the bureau because "[Obama] wants to know everything we are doing."

Asked on Fox & Friends to explain the text, House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said that "it means the president [Obama] wants to know what they're doing to stop Trump."

The text messages were released Tuesday in a report by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). In it, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee argues that the texts raise questions about Obama’s involvement into the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails. This would also be at odds with Obama saying, "I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations. We have a strict line and always have maintained it. I guarantee it."

Various outlets pushed back against these accusations.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the text messages referred to Obama wanting to "know everything" about the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election—not a probe into Clinton’s email server.

CNN also noted that text in question was sent on September 2, 2016—"months after the bureau had closed its investigation into Clinton, and before it reopened that investigation. But September 2, 2016 was just days before Obama confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia's meddling in the presidential election."

In January, Johnson acknowledged that a reference made between Page and Strzok of a "secret society" could have been a joke, and not evidence - as he’d claimed - of an anti-Trump plot.

Strzok had been a member of Special Counsel Robert Muller’s investigation until he was reassigned over his anti-Trump texts.

What do you think?

Are the newly-released FBI texts "bombshells"? Should the House and Senate intelligence committees further investigate the matter? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

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