Trump Set for Deposition in Legal Cases of Former FBI Agents Strzok and Page
Donald Trump, the previous U.S. president, is set for an under-oath interrogation on Tuesday, connected to legal cases by two past FBI personnel, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. These individuals became a target of Trump’s criticism following their exchange of text messages showing aversion towards him during the probe of his alleged Russian connections before the 2016 presidential race.
The messages shared by Strzok and Page, former FBI staff, expressing their animosity towards Trump, have been a focal point of Trump’s vehement remarks, especially during his political gatherings. These communications triggered doubts regarding the objectivity of the FBI’s investigation into Trump.
This controversy, which attracted attention from Congress and infuriated Trump, led to Page’s exit from the FBI and the dismissal of Strzok. In response, Strzok filed a case against the Justice Department, citing unjust firing, and Page filed a lawsuit for privacy infringement.
Efforts by the Justice Department to prevent Trump’s deposition in these lawsuits were unsuccessful, despite their assertion that insights from FBI Director Christopher Wray and Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, rendered Trump’s deposition redundant.
Justice Department lawyers contended in their challenge, “Deposing a former top-tier official regarding his actions during his official tenure is something that should only be allowed under extremely exceptional circumstances. This situation does not meet such high criteria.”
However, their arguments were overruled by an appellate court that agreed with a federal judge’s decision not to exempt Trump from the deposition.
Trump’s deposition, slated for a duration of two hours, is set to occur in New York amidst his ongoing civil fraud trial, where he has been appearing in person during the trial’s third week, although his presence isn’t mandatory.
While it was anticipated that Trump’s appearance might overlap with the testimony of his former attorney and confidant, Michael Cohen, a pivotal witness in the case brought by the New York attorney general, Cohen’s appearance was postponed due to medical reasons.
Refuting any speculation of avoiding testimony, Cohen clarified on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “I’m not stepping back. There’s no apprehension about testifying, no financial inducement. I have a health-related matter to address. It’s that straightforward.”
The lawsuit by the New York attorney general against Trump, his company, and his two elder sons — Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — accuses them of fraudulent activities spanning over ten years.
Trump’s imminent deposition concerning the lawsuits by the former FBI agents is just one facet of the multitude of legal challenges he is currently navigating. He is contending with a total of 91 charges spread over four criminal cases, along with various civil cases.
As these cases are projected to be brought to trial in the forthcoming year, Trump remains actively involved in politics, positioned as the leading contender in the Republican presidential primary.
