- The Washington Times - Tuesday, July 3, 2018

FBI agent Peter Strzok will publicly testify before two congressional committees on July 10.

Mr. Strzok’s next appearance before the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees comes roughly two weeks his 11-hour closed deposition before lawmakers. Neither Mr. Strzok nor his attorney, Aitan Goelman, have discussed his private testimony.

Some politicians have revealed fragments of Mr. Strzok’s testimony. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, quoted Mr. Strzok as saying his text messages blasting President Trump were “just intimate conversation between intimate friends.” While Rep. Mark Meadows, North Carolina Republican, publicly complained that none of his questions were answered during the deposition.

Mr. Goelman threatened to cancel his client’s appearance next week. In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Goelman accused House Republicans of “playing political games” with his client’s testimony and called the invitation for public testimony, “a trap.”

“Given that the committee is playing political games, violating our trust and its own rules, it no longer makes sense for us to keep playing along,” Mr. Goelman wrote. “[Strzok] is willing to testify again, and he is willing to testify publicly. … He might even be willing to testify publicly before this committee. But not under conditions that are so obviously designed to embarrass and trap an honorable man who has spent 25 years serving his country in the military and in law enforcement.”

Mr. Strzok was a key figure in the Hillary Clinton email investigation and, briefly, a member of special counsel Robert Mueller’s team probing Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.

He was later removed from the Russia investigation after Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz showed Mr. Mueller text messages disparaging Mr. Trump that Mr. Strzok sent to FBI attorney Lisa Page, who was also the agent’s mistress.

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.

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