Attorneys for former FBI employees Lisa Page and Peter Strzok joined Justice Department lawyers Friday in asking a federal judge for more time to prepare for courtroom proceedings in the anti-Trump lovebirds’ wrongful termination lawsuit.
Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page in 2019 separately filed lawsuits against the Justice Department and FBI, saying actions taken against them were political retaliation directed by President Trump.
Mr. Strzok has alleged his firing was politically motivated, while Ms. Page, who resigned in 2018, claims the Justice Department violated her privacy by releasing the pair’s private text messages.
The lawsuits were consolidated last year and have meandered through the court system ever since.
Lawyers for both sides Friday said they still need more time for discovery and asked a federal judge to extend the deadline to submit expert disclosures until August 15.
They also asked to have until October 22 to submit a joint status report on whether the cases should remain consolidated for trial, according to a court filing.
Mr. Strzok, once the bureau’s top intelligence operative, opened the FBI’s investigation into alleged ties between Russians who interfered in the 2016 election and members of the Trump campaign.
He later joined Ms. Page on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Mr. Strzok was removed in 2017 after the discovery of anti-Trump text messages swapped on work cellphones with his mistress, Ms. Page.
Mr. Mueller’s investigation ultimately found no evidence that Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign “colluded” with Russia to win the election.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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