Peter Strzok, via EPA.

Update: Sunday, 11:44 p.m. — The GoFundMe page for fired FBI agent Peter Stzrok has now raised $439,455 in six days. The goal was raised from $350,000 to $500,000.

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Report From Last Week

By Steve Neavling
Ticklethewire.com

Peter Stzrok, the FBI agent who was ousted for sending anti-Trump text messages during the presidential campaign, has plenty of supporters.

Just take a look at the $235,000 that was raised just 21 hours after the GoFundMe page was created by an anonymous organizer, listed as“Friends of Special Agent Peter Strzok,” on the day news broke that the 22-year veteran had been fired over the recommendations that he be demoted and suspended for 60 days.  

In less than 12 hours, the original goal of raising $150,000 for his future legal bills was exceeded by thousands of donors. The goal was then raised to $350,000.

A similar outpouring of support happened in April after FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired just two days before he was eligible to retire with full benefits. More than $500,ooo was raised, more than tripling the fundraising goal.

Strzok’s attorney, Aitan Goelman, slammed the decision of FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowditch, who overruled an internal disciplinary review that had recommended Strzok a demotion and suspension.

The GoFundMe account begins:

Peter Strzok, a man who has spent his entire life working to help keep us and our nation safe, has been fired.  He needs your help.

For the last year, Pete, his work, and his character have been the target of highly politicized attacks, including frequent slanderous statements from President Trump, who actively—and apparently successfully—pressured FBI officials to fire Pete. 

All funds raised on this GoFundMe will be put into a trust dedicated to covering Pete’s hefty – and growing – legal costs and his lost income. The trust is being created and details about its management will be shared here as things progress. We also appreciate your help spreading the word about this GoFundMe by sharing this link: www.gofundme.com/peterstrzok

Peter Strzok is a proud husband and father, a veteran of the U.S. Army and counterintelligence Special Agent who spent more than two decades in a job he loved at the FBI. 

Pete handled some of the agency’s most important cases, thwarting numerous attacks by foreign and domestic adversaries while being consistently promoted and frequently recognized for his skillful and independent work. In describing his 21 years at the FBI, The New York Times said, “He rose quickly through its ranks, earning a reputation within the bureau as one of its most savvy and reliable counterintelligence agents.”

But last week, in a decision apparently driven by political pressure, a senior FBI official chose to fire Pete — overruling the agency’s normal and independent process by rejecting the decision of the career professionals in the FBI’s disciplinary division. This has left him without income and facing considerable legal bills.