Trump hits back at former FBI lawyer Lisa Page after she breaks silence over president's ‘sickening’ attacks on her
President once again hurls insults on Twitter at former FBI lawyer
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has attacked former FBI lawyer Lisa Page after she broke her nearly two-year public silence following the release of text messages between her and a former agent that were critical of the president.
"When Lisa Page, the lover of Peter Strzok, talks about being 'crushed', and how innocent she is, ask her to read Peter’s 'Insurance Policy' text, to her, just in case Hillary loses", the president wrote on Twitter. "Also, why were the lovers text messages scrubbed after he left Mueller."
He added: "Where are they Lisa?"
Mr Trump has long claimed the text messages between Ms Page and Peter Strzok were evidence of political bias in the bureau's investigations into interference in the 2016 election. The former FBI lawyer testified in a closed-door hearing to House investigators in July of last year.
Ms Page detailed her experience being thrust into the national spotlight following the release of her texts and revelations about her relationship with Mr Strzok in a Daily Beast interview published on Monday.
“It’s almost impossible to describe” what it’s like, Ms Page said. “It’s like being punched in the gut. My heart drops to my stomach when I realize he has tweeted about me again.”
She added: “The president of the United States is calling me names to the entire world. He’s demeaning me and my career. It’s sickening.”
The Justice Department’s Inspector General did not find evidence of political bias in any of the pair’s work, as well as investigations that were underway into the election, Mr Trump and former 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Ms Page spoke out about the president’s treatment of her just ahead of another Inspector General report reportedly set for release next week.
She has said her texts were “cherry-picked” and “selected for their political impact”, which ultimately gave way to endless public attacks against her and Mr Strzok.
“When the president accuses you of treason by name, despite the fact that I know there’s no fathomable way that I have committed any crime at all, let alone treason, he’s still somebody in a position to actually do something about that”, she said. “To try to further destroy my life. It never goes away or stops, even when he’s not publicly attacking me.”
Ms Page also defended herself from allegations she violated the Hatch Act by expressing her political viewpoints in text messages to a colleague — an act that does not violate the law.
“I don’t engage in any sort of partisan politicking at all” she said. “But having an opinion and sharing that opinion publicly or privately with another person is squarely within the permissible bounds of the Hatch Act.”
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