Former FBI attorney Lisa Page sues DOJ, FBI for publishing her text messages
Page says leaking her messages to the press was 'not only wrong, it was illegal'; David Spunt reports from the Justice Department.
Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page spoke out Tuesday night, explaining her controversial texts with her lover, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, and defending the Russia investigation into President Trump.
Appearing on "The Rachel Maddow Show," Page was asked about the "insurance policy" text Strzok had sent to her during the 2016 election that was released by the Justice Department in 2017, part of a string of texts that led to Strzok's removal from the Russia probe over concerns of potential bias.
"It's an analogy," Page began. "First of all, it's not my text, so I'm sort of interpreting what I believed he meant back three years ago, but we're using an analogy. We're talking about whether or not we should take certain investigative steps or not based on the likelihood that he's going to be president or not."
She continued, "You have to keep in mind... if President Trump doesn't become president, the national-security risk, if there is somebody in his campaign associated with Russia, plummets. You're not so worried about what Russia's doing vis-à-vis a member of his campaign if he's not president because you're not going to have access to classified information, you're not going to have access to sources and methods in our national-security apparatus. So, the 'insurance policy' was an anology. It's like an insurance policy when you're 40. You don't expect to die when you're 40, yet you still have an insurance policy."
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow chimed in, "So, don't just hope that he's not going to be elected and therefore not press forward with the investigation hoping, but rather press forward with the investigation just in case he does get in there."
"Exactly," Page replied.
When asked about Strzok's text saying "we won't allow" Trump to get elected, Page insisted it was the "collective we" as in "like-minded, thoughtful, sensible people who were not going to vote this person into office."
Page blasted Trump's "vile, simulated sex act" of Strzok and her at his campaign rally, which prompted her to break her silence earlier this month.
"At least I have my voice out there. At least if you're going to respond, respond to me instead of this caricature that you've drawn up about me," Page said.
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The former FBI lawyer also defended the foundation of the Russia investigation during the 2016 election.
"There is no one on this set of facts who has any experience in counterintelligence who would not have made the exact same decision," Page said. "This is a question about whether Russia is working with a United States person to interfere in our election. We were obligated to figure out whether that was true or not and to figure out who might be in a position to provide that assistance."