Jump to content

Compromised (book): Difference between revisions

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Rmv tag following major edits in view of comments at NPOV noticeboard, article still needs work but is better now IMHO
AnomieBOT (talk | contribs)
Bots
6,365,786 edits
m Dating maintenance tags: {{Cn}}
Line 32: Line 32:


==Further pertinent background of author==
==Further pertinent background of author==
In addition to leading the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the author of this book, Peter Strzok, also served on special counsel [[Robert Mueller]]'s investigative team until the Justice Department inspector general flagged critical text messages about President Trump Strzok had sent and received during the 2016 campaign. Probably most damaging was a text he sent to co-worker [[Lisa Page]], with whom he was conducting an extramarital affair. He sent Page the following text regarding a possible Trump election, “No. No he won’t. We'll stop it.”<ref name="Atlantic Article">{{cite web|website=Atlantic article on Strzok's congressional testimony|title=Traub, James, "The Peter Strzok Hearing and the Death of Shame/Decency Loses Its Moral Force"|date=July 18, 2018|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/07/have-they-no-sense-of-decency/565415/|publisher=The Atlantic Magazine|access-date=22 November 2020}}</ref> This type of contact with the outside world is forbidden when serving with the FBI.{{cn}} The text soon went public.<ref name="Independent Article">{{cite web|website=Independent article on Book|title=Spocchia, Geno, "Ex-FBI agent regularly targeted by Trump bringing out book about president's links to Russia"|date=July 28, 2020|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/peter-strzok-book-trump-russia-fbi-agent-compromised-a9642076.html|publisher=Independent|access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref>
In addition to leading the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the author of this book, Peter Strzok, also served on special counsel [[Robert Mueller]]'s investigative team until the Justice Department inspector general flagged critical text messages about President Trump Strzok had sent and received during the 2016 campaign. Probably most damaging was a text he sent to co-worker [[Lisa Page]], with whom he was conducting an extramarital affair. He sent Page the following text regarding a possible Trump election, “No. No he won’t. We'll stop it.”<ref name="Atlantic Article">{{cite web|website=Atlantic article on Strzok's congressional testimony|title=Traub, James, "The Peter Strzok Hearing and the Death of Shame/Decency Loses Its Moral Force"|date=July 18, 2018|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/07/have-they-no-sense-of-decency/565415/|publisher=The Atlantic Magazine|access-date=22 November 2020}}</ref> This type of contact with the outside world is forbidden when serving with the FBI.{{cn|date=April 2023}} The text soon went public.<ref name="Independent Article">{{cite web|website=Independent article on Book|title=Spocchia, Geno, "Ex-FBI agent regularly targeted by Trump bringing out book about president's links to Russia"|date=July 28, 2020|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/peter-strzok-book-trump-russia-fbi-agent-compromised-a9642076.html|publisher=Independent|access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref>


Many believed the President and fellow Republicans overreacted to Strzok's blunder, as Trump once recklessly alleged Strzok and others in the FBI had plotted against his campaign and had even committed treason, though treason can be committed only by aiding an enemy of the United States such as Russia, not by offending a private American citizen, including the President.<ref name="Independent Article"/> Strzok filed a suit in August 2019 against the Bureau claiming they caved against "unrelenting pressure" from the Trump administration, and that he was "unfairly punished" for expressing his political opinions.<ref>Tucker, Eric, "Former FBI agent sues over firing due to anti-Trump texts", ''Albuquerque Journal'', pg. A6, August 7, 2020.</ref>
Many believed the President and fellow Republicans overreacted to Strzok's blunder, as Trump once recklessly alleged Strzok and others in the FBI had plotted against his campaign and had even committed treason, though treason can be committed only by aiding an enemy of the United States such as Russia, not by offending a private American citizen, including the President.<ref name="Independent Article"/> Strzok filed a suit in August 2019 against the Bureau claiming they caved against "unrelenting pressure" from the Trump administration, and that he was "unfairly punished" for expressing his political opinions.<ref>Tucker, Eric, "Former FBI agent sues over firing due to anti-Trump texts", ''Albuquerque Journal'', pg. A6, August 7, 2020.</ref>
Line 42: Line 42:
Carlos Lozada of ''The Washington Post'' gave a favorable review, of a "compelling tale" but criticized the strength of Strzok's bias against Trump in some instances. Strzok considers Trump a liar who presided over a "heap of perfidy and treachery", a leader "gleefully wreaking havoc on America's political institutions and norms." But Lozada noted importantly that Strzok's description of Trump's being "compromised", did "not mean that the president received regular orders from Russia" or that he did Putin's bidding at Putin's immediate request. Strzok posited that the "compromised liar need not be told what to do ... It all unspools without anyone's ever having to say a word." Trump's extramarital affairs, his issues with his charitable Trump foundation, and his own questionable financial background, particularly the strong suspicion of tax evasion, also compromise him "badly and in a myriad of ways", Strzok contends. And, in turn, a compromised president pursued policies and adopted positions that Strzok sees as "highly suspicious, highly consistent, and highly advantageous to America's historic adversary (Russia)."<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite web|website=Washington Post|author=Lozada, Carlos|title="He investigated Clinton and Trump. Then the Justice Department turned on him."|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/09/05/he-investigated-clinton-trump-then-justice-department-turned-him/|access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref> Strzok, according to Lozada, still considered Trump's criminality as a grey area, however this view may be open to debate. When asked by Robert Mueller if Trump's behavior warranted a conspiracy, Lozada noted Strzok replied "I was skeptical that all the different threads amounted to anything more than bumbling incompetence,”. Strzok wrote "In my view they (Trump's staff) were most likely a collection of grifters pursuing individual personal interests."<ref name="Washington Post"/>
Carlos Lozada of ''The Washington Post'' gave a favorable review, of a "compelling tale" but criticized the strength of Strzok's bias against Trump in some instances. Strzok considers Trump a liar who presided over a "heap of perfidy and treachery", a leader "gleefully wreaking havoc on America's political institutions and norms." But Lozada noted importantly that Strzok's description of Trump's being "compromised", did "not mean that the president received regular orders from Russia" or that he did Putin's bidding at Putin's immediate request. Strzok posited that the "compromised liar need not be told what to do ... It all unspools without anyone's ever having to say a word." Trump's extramarital affairs, his issues with his charitable Trump foundation, and his own questionable financial background, particularly the strong suspicion of tax evasion, also compromise him "badly and in a myriad of ways", Strzok contends. And, in turn, a compromised president pursued policies and adopted positions that Strzok sees as "highly suspicious, highly consistent, and highly advantageous to America's historic adversary (Russia)."<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite web|website=Washington Post|author=Lozada, Carlos|title="He investigated Clinton and Trump. Then the Justice Department turned on him."|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/09/05/he-investigated-clinton-trump-then-justice-department-turned-him/|access-date=4 November 2020}}</ref> Strzok, according to Lozada, still considered Trump's criminality as a grey area, however this view may be open to debate. When asked by Robert Mueller if Trump's behavior warranted a conspiracy, Lozada noted Strzok replied "I was skeptical that all the different threads amounted to anything more than bumbling incompetence,”. Strzok wrote "In my view they (Trump's staff) were most likely a collection of grifters pursuing individual personal interests."<ref name="Washington Post"/>


[[Nicholas Fandos]] of ''The New York Times'' praised the book, and wrote "A former Army officer, Mr. Strzok . . . rose quickly through [the FBI's] ranks, earning a reputation within the bureau as one of its most savvy and reliable counterintelligence agents."{{cn}}
[[Nicholas Fandos]] of ''The New York Times'' praised the book, and wrote "A former Army officer, Mr. Strzok . . . rose quickly through [the FBI's] ranks, earning a reputation within the bureau as one of its most savvy and reliable counterintelligence agents."{{cn|date=April 2023}}


James Traub of ''The Atlantic'' strongly praised Strzok's sense of duty in conducting his counterintelligence investigation of Trump. Traub criticized congressional Republicans for attempting to use Strzok's extramarital affair with Lisa Page and poorly timed text as a way of destroying his credibility, while overlooking the relevance and importance of his investigation and service to his country. When asked by Texas Congressman [[Ted Poe]] in a congressional oversight hearing how he could conduct an honest and unbiased investigation after texting that he would stop Trump from winning the election, Strzok replied "A judge asks jurors, 'Are you able to set aside your personal opinions and render a judgment based on the facts?’ and I and the men and women of the FBI every day take our personal beliefs and set them aside in vigorous pursuit of the truth wherever it lies." Poe replied to Strzok, "I don't believe you".<ref name="Atlantic Article"/>
James Traub of ''The Atlantic'' strongly praised Strzok's sense of duty in conducting his counterintelligence investigation of Trump. Traub criticized congressional Republicans for attempting to use Strzok's extramarital affair with Lisa Page and poorly timed text as a way of destroying his credibility, while overlooking the relevance and importance of his investigation and service to his country. When asked by Texas Congressman [[Ted Poe]] in a congressional oversight hearing how he could conduct an honest and unbiased investigation after texting that he would stop Trump from winning the election, Strzok replied "A judge asks jurors, 'Are you able to set aside your personal opinions and render a judgment based on the facts?’ and I and the men and women of the FBI every day take our personal beliefs and set them aside in vigorous pursuit of the truth wherever it lies." Poe replied to Strzok, "I don't believe you".<ref name="Atlantic Article"/>

Revision as of 04:16, 8 April 2023

Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump
First edition cover
AuthorPeter Strzok
Cover artistBrian Moore
LanguageEnglish
SubjectInvestigates the administration of Donald J. Trump as a source of Russian intelligence
GenreNonfiction
PublisherHoughton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date
September 8, 2020
Publication placeUSA
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages350
ISBN978-0-358-23706-8
Trump–Russia relations
Business interactions
Russian election interference
Investigations and reports
People
Deception and conspiracy theories
Literature
Categories

Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump is a 2020 non-fiction book authored by former FBI agent Peter Strzok.[1][2] as Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI counterintelligence division, Strzok led the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation of alleged Russian influence upon President Donald Trump and Trump's 2016 campaign. Strzok’s book recaps the full arc of Crossfire Hurricane.[3]

Further pertinent background of author

In addition to leading the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, the author of this book, Peter Strzok, also served on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigative team until the Justice Department inspector general flagged critical text messages about President Trump Strzok had sent and received during the 2016 campaign. Probably most damaging was a text he sent to co-worker Lisa Page, with whom he was conducting an extramarital affair. He sent Page the following text regarding a possible Trump election, “No. No he won’t. We'll stop it.”[4] This type of contact with the outside world is forbidden when serving with the FBI.[citation needed] The text soon went public.[5]

Many believed the President and fellow Republicans overreacted to Strzok's blunder, as Trump once recklessly alleged Strzok and others in the FBI had plotted against his campaign and had even committed treason, though treason can be committed only by aiding an enemy of the United States such as Russia, not by offending a private American citizen, including the President.[5] Strzok filed a suit in August 2019 against the Bureau claiming they caved against "unrelenting pressure" from the Trump administration, and that he was "unfairly punished" for expressing his political opinions.[6]

Trump's accusations against Hillary Clinton

Trump's statements in the summer of 2016 accusing Clinton of a crime for her use of confidential emails could have been responsible for a drop of roughly 1% of her National support in the polls. This would have significantly influenced the outcome of the historically close 2016 election. James Comey admitted publicly to reopening the investigation of Clinton's emails, in a press conference only a few days before the election may also have led to a significant drop in Clinton's polling, and may have furthered the objectives of the Russian GRU who, according to the Mueller investigation, had hacked the e-mails months earlier before they found their way to WikiLeaks, a publication that made such information available to the public.[7] When the FBI investigation under Strzok concluded that nothing was criminal in Clinton's actions, the Trump campaign made no reference to the statement, nor retracted their assertion that Clinton had committed a crime, rather repeatedly pushing the line that, although found innocent of a crime, Clinton had gotten a "sweet" deal from the FBI.[8]

Reception

Carlos Lozada of The Washington Post gave a favorable review, of a "compelling tale" but criticized the strength of Strzok's bias against Trump in some instances. Strzok considers Trump a liar who presided over a "heap of perfidy and treachery", a leader "gleefully wreaking havoc on America's political institutions and norms." But Lozada noted importantly that Strzok's description of Trump's being "compromised", did "not mean that the president received regular orders from Russia" or that he did Putin's bidding at Putin's immediate request. Strzok posited that the "compromised liar need not be told what to do ... It all unspools without anyone's ever having to say a word." Trump's extramarital affairs, his issues with his charitable Trump foundation, and his own questionable financial background, particularly the strong suspicion of tax evasion, also compromise him "badly and in a myriad of ways", Strzok contends. And, in turn, a compromised president pursued policies and adopted positions that Strzok sees as "highly suspicious, highly consistent, and highly advantageous to America's historic adversary (Russia)."[9] Strzok, according to Lozada, still considered Trump's criminality as a grey area, however this view may be open to debate. When asked by Robert Mueller if Trump's behavior warranted a conspiracy, Lozada noted Strzok replied "I was skeptical that all the different threads amounted to anything more than bumbling incompetence,”. Strzok wrote "In my view they (Trump's staff) were most likely a collection of grifters pursuing individual personal interests."[9]

Nicholas Fandos of The New York Times praised the book, and wrote "A former Army officer, Mr. Strzok . . . rose quickly through [the FBI's] ranks, earning a reputation within the bureau as one of its most savvy and reliable counterintelligence agents."[citation needed]

James Traub of The Atlantic strongly praised Strzok's sense of duty in conducting his counterintelligence investigation of Trump. Traub criticized congressional Republicans for attempting to use Strzok's extramarital affair with Lisa Page and poorly timed text as a way of destroying his credibility, while overlooking the relevance and importance of his investigation and service to his country. When asked by Texas Congressman Ted Poe in a congressional oversight hearing how he could conduct an honest and unbiased investigation after texting that he would stop Trump from winning the election, Strzok replied "A judge asks jurors, 'Are you able to set aside your personal opinions and render a judgment based on the facts?’ and I and the men and women of the FBI every day take our personal beliefs and set them aside in vigorous pursuit of the truth wherever it lies." Poe replied to Strzok, "I don't believe you".[4]

Lloyd Green of the Guardian, who did opposition research for the political campaign of George H. W. Bush in 1988, also considered the book "compelling reading", and observed Strzok's discovery of Trump's “willingness to accept political assistance from an opponent like Russia – and it follows, his willingness to subvert everything that America stands for.” He notes that Strozok believed "Our investigations revealed Donald Trump's willingness to further the malign interests of one of our most formidable adversaries, apparently for his own personal gain." Green doles out some criticism of the FBI investigation of Michael Flynn as Strozok appears somewhat contradictory in his evaluation of Flynn as cooperative in demeanor but "repeatedly and inexplicably" lying on other issues. Green most strongly criticized Strzok for his glossing over his extensive and ultimately destructive relationship with Lisa Page, as they were believed to have sent over 20,000 emails to each other, including those used to show he had a bias against Trump.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "New York Times Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction". The New York Times. September 27, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  2. ^ "Washington Post hardcover bestsellers". The Washington Post. September 16, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Bertrand, Natasha. “Peter Strzok would like to clear a few things up”, Politico (5 Sep 2020): Strzok “led the FBI’s Russia investigation, dubbed Crossfire Hurricane….Strzok’s new book, obtained by POLITICO ahead of its release next week, recaps the full arc of Crossfire Hurricane…."
  4. ^ a b "Traub, James, "The Peter Strzok Hearing and the Death of Shame/Decency Loses Its Moral Force"". Atlantic article on Strzok's congressional testimony. The Atlantic Magazine. July 18, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Spocchia, Geno, "Ex-FBI agent regularly targeted by Trump bringing out book about president's links to Russia"". Independent article on Book. Independent. July 28, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Tucker, Eric, "Former FBI agent sues over firing due to anti-Trump texts", Albuquerque Journal, pg. A6, August 7, 2020.
  7. ^ "Pecorin, Allison, "Comey made announcement on Clinton email probe days before election to give himself 'cover': Trump spokesperson"". ABC News. ABC. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  8. ^ Russia began investigating Hillary Clinton's private emails immediately after Trump's request to do so in July in Weissmann, Andrew (2020) Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation. Random House, New York, pgs. 218-220
  9. ^ a b Lozada, Carlos. ""He investigated Clinton and Trump. Then the Justice Department turned on him."". Washington Post. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  10. ^ "Green, LLoyd, "Compromised review: Peter Strzok on Trump, Russia and the FBI"". The Guardian review of Book. September 20, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compromised_(book)&oldid=1148759555"