FBI lawyer Lisa Page has broken her silence about her involvement in the bureau’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia.
Page seems to attempt to depict herself as a victim in a lengthy interview with the Daily Beast published Sunday, and with a week to go before a long-anticipated inspector general’s report on the FBI’s conduct in that investigation.
Lisa Page, former legal counsel to former FBI Director Andrew Mc Cabe, arrives on Capitol Hill July 13, 2018 to provide closed-door testimony about the texts critical of Donald Trump that she exchanged with her FBI agent lover during the 2016 presidential campaign.(Photo credit should read ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)
But she never mentions the text messages between herself and apparent lover, then-FBI deputy counterintelligence chief Peter Strzok, that revealed how the two harbored a fervent hatred of Trump and a visceral fear that he would become president.
Page tweeted her resolve early Monday, saying “I’m done being quiet.”
I’m done being quiet.https://t.co/9YSvhsgAyb
— Lisa Page (@NatSecLisa) December 2, 2019
Nor does the Daily Beast bother to bring up the subject of text messages. Instead, the 39-year-old is described as being “thin and athletic. She speaks in an exceedingly confident, clear and lawyerly way. But having been through the MAGA meat grinder has clearly worn her down.” (RELATED: Lisa Page: Everyone At FBI Opposed Hillary’s Lawyers Attend FBI Interview)
Page describes her reaction to being the subject of Trump’s continued ire.
“It’s almost impossible to describe,” she said, according to the Daily Beast. “It’s like being punched in the gut. My heart drops to my stomach when I realize he has tweeted about me again. The president of the United States is calling me names to the entire world. He’s demeaning me and my career. It’s sickening.”
Page did not recall her animus for Trump in 2016 when she communicated with Strzok.
“[Trump’s] not ever going to become president, right? Right?!” Page wrote to Strzok.
“No. No he’s not. We’ll stop it,” Strzok replied, according to the watchdog group that originally revealed the texts.
In a message on Election Day 2016, Page expressed her concerns over Trump winning: “OMG THIS IS F***ING TERRIFYING.”
“Omg, I am so depressed,” Strzok replied.
On Nov. 13, 2016, Page told Strzok: “I bought all the president’s men. Figure I need to brush up on Watergate.” (RELATED: Peter Strzok Sues FBI And DOJ Over Firing, Claims His Anti-Trump Texts Were Protected Free Speech)
Page apparently decided to talk to the media after Trump poked fun at her and Strzok during a Minneapolis rally on Oct. 10, according to the interview. She believes there was something “degrading” in the president’s routine.
“Not to mention, you know, his truly reprehensible, degrading stunt at his rally, in which he used my name to simulate an orgasm,” Page told the Beast. ”And I don’t ever know when the president’s going to attack next. And when it happens, it can still sort of upend my day. You don’t really get used to it.”
Trump made the comments in reference to how many of his opponents apparently wanted him impeached immediately after his inauguration.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., Oct. 10, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis
“Think of that. That was 19 minutes after the oath of office. Much earlier, there was Peter Strzok. He and his lover, Lisa Page. What a group. ‘[Hillary Clinton’s] going to win ten million to one. She’s going to win Peter. Peter, I love you so much,’” Trump joked. “‘I love you Peter. I love you too, Lisa. Lisa, I love you. If she doesn’t win, we’ve got an insurance policy. We will get that son of a bitch out.’”
Page claims she has become distrustful of strangers as a result of Trump’s criticism.
“Like, when somebody makes eye contact with me on the Metro, I kind of wince, wondering if it’s because they recognize me, or are they just scanning the train like people do? It’s immediately a question of friend or foe? Or if I’m walking down the street or shopping and there’s somebody wearing Trump gear or a MAGA hat, I’ll walk the other way or try to put some distance between us because I’m not looking for conflict. Really, what I wanted most in this world is my life back.”
