In a move called a “hitch” in the Trump Russia probe, former FBI counterespionage chief Peter Strzok has left special counsel Robert Muller’s Trump Russia FBI investigative team for the Human Resources department, according to a scoop by ABC News.
Sources told ABC that Strzok left for the HR department, Mike Levin reported Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s unclear why Strzok stepped away from Mueller’s team of nearly two dozen lawyers, investigators and administrative staff. Strzok, who has spent much of his law enforcement career working counterintelligence cases and has been unanimously praised by government officials who spoke with ABC News, is now working for the FBI’s human resources division. ”
“The recent departure of FBI veteran Peter Strzok is the first known hitch in a secretive probe that by all public accounts is charging full-steam ahead,” Levine observed.
Yahoo News’ Garance Franke-Ruta noted how weird this move is:
Deeply weird. Why would the former FBI counterespionage chief working w Mueller move to the HR department? via @ABC pic.twitter.com/vNNORH0k6S
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) August 16, 2017
Muller picked Strzok, who was one of the FBI’s top investigators, just weeks ago to help lead the Trump Russia probe.
This is very odd and given President Trump’s firing of Comey and references to firing Mueller, suspicious. It could be the Trump administration’s creative way of trying to sabotage the Trump Russia probe without actually firing Mueller, since that move would cause a huge uproar.
Ms. Jones is the editor-in-chief of PoliticusUSA.
Sarah hosts Politicus News and co-hosts Politicus Radio. Her analysis has been featured on several national radio, television news programs and talk shows, and print outlets including Stateside with David Shuster, as well as The Washington Post, The Atlantic Wire, CNN, MSNBC, The Week, The Hollywood Reporter, and more.
Sarah has won two Telly Awards and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.