By Steve Neavling
A federal judge on Thursday agreed to allow the depositions of former President Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray in lawsuits filed by two former senior FBI employees who allege they were unfairly targeted because they investigated Trump’s ties to Russia.
Senior FBI Agent Peter Strzok and former bureau lawyer Lisa Page filed separate lawsuits against the FBI and Justice Department after the public release of their text messages, which showed they were having an affair and disliked Trump.
Strzok, who was fired, alleges he was unfairly terminated. Paige, who resigned, claims the release of the text messages violated her privacy rights.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Strzok and Paige could depose Trump and Wray under certain conditions, The Washington Post reports.
“The Court authorized the plaintiffs to conduct depositions of each witness that do not exceed two hours and are limited to the narrow set of topics specified,” Jackson ruled after a closed-door hearing Thursday.
Under the order, the Justice Department has until March 23 to decide whether to invoke executive privilege to shield Trump from testifying.
Trump repeatedly and publicly slammed Strzok and Page, claiming their text messages proved the FBI was prejudiced against him.
