A source briefed on the interview said Republicans grilled Peter Strzok about why he lost his security clearance and about why he was dismissed from special counsel Robert Mueller's team. | Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images 'Intimate' chats: FBI's anti-Trump texter makes case to Congress But after 10 hours of questioning, Republicans remained concerned that Peter Strzok had undermined FBI probes into Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Peter Strzok, the FBI agent whose anti-Trump texts have spawned months of conspiracy theories about deep state plots to take down the president, sparred with lawmakers Wednesday during a "feisty" daylong interview in his first Capitol Hill appearance.

Over nearly 10 hours, Strzok defended his texts as "intimate" conversations with an "intimate friend," according to those in the room. But after multiple rounds of questioning, no one appeared to have budged. Republicans left the room raging, while Democrats left wondering what all the fuss was about.


"Mad and angry," said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), describing his emotions leaving the meeting.

"Monumental waste of time," countered Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

Strzok, a veteran counterintelligence agent who helped launched the FBI’s Russia probe in 2016, has become the bogeyman of the Trump universe, portrayed as the original witch hunter in the illegitimate investigation into the Trump campaign's contacts with Russian officials.

Trump regularly rants on Twitter about Strzok — labeling him a "hating fraud" on Monday — and Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani has demanded that Strzok be jailed for his actions. On Capitol Hill, Trump's allies have insisted that Strzok — who was also central in the FBI's probe of Hillary Clinton's private email use — personally explain thousands of text messages uncovered by a DOJ watchdog that reveal a deep-seated animus against Trump.

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On Wednesday, several lawmakers got their chance to hear that explanation. Strzok appeared shortly before 10 a.m. for a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees as part of a Republican-led probe into the FBI and Justice Department’s conduct in 2016.

And there he stayed, all day, fielding questions until well after business hours, before moving to an evening classified setting to answer even more queries.

A source briefed on the interview said Republicans grilled Strzok about why he lost his security clearance and about why he was dismissed from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe team.

But Strzok was largely unable to discuss his short-lived role as a member of Mueller’s team — as well as the part he played in launching the FBI’s initial Russia investigation, opened in July 2016 — until entering the classified setting Wednesday evening.

A parade of Democrats exited the interview describing it as a “farce” or a time-waster meant to undermine Mueller by trying to taint a member of his initial investigative team. Democrats said Strzok credibly recalled minutiae about specific episodes with compelling detail.

Republicans sharply disagreed. According to Democrats, GOP members frequently interrupted Strzok, questioning him in numerous heated exchanges.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who was in the room, described the atmosphere as "feisty" as Strzok and Republicans argued over how to interpret the vast swath of anti-Trump text messages Strzok sent to FBI attorney Lisa Page, with whom he was having an affair.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said that Strzok told lawmakers that these messages were merely "intimate" conversations with an "intimate friend," with no intent that his idle commentary would translate into actions at work.

But Republicans, who have harshly criticized Strzok for months, appeared unmoved by his arguments.

Republican Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), one of the more vocal critics of Strzok, said such private messages “would normally show the intent more so” than public messages.

"None of my concerns about political bias have been alleviated based on what I heard so far," Meadows added.

“I think the text messages speak for themselves,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who stopped short of saying Strzok lied to the committee.

The hearing may be the first of several congressional appearances for Strzok. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte has said he intends to offer Strzok a chance to testify publicly, something Trump has demanded and several Democrats have asked for, as well. Strzok has indicated through his attorney that he would like to testify on the record.

As the hearing reached its 10th hour Goodlatte told reporters that lawmakers “definitely” gleaned new information from Strzok, but that he couldn’t share it.

He said more details would emerge at a forthcoming public hearing with Strzok to be announced “soon.”

Wednesday's meeting also offered only a few lawmakers — members of a task force handling the committees' joint investigation — a chance to ask questions. Those members include Goodlatte, Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy and the committees' top Democrats, Reps. Jerry Nadler and Elijah Cummings, among others.

Strzok was initially slated to appear in a deposition-style interview under a subpoena issued by Goodlatte on Friday, but the committees ultimately negotiated a voluntary appearance that will include fuller participation from lawmakers.

For now, the public largely knows Strzok through his text messages, thousands of exchanges with Page while the two carried on an affair in 2016 and 2017. The two blasted Trump as “loathsome” and predicted he wouldn’t become president. In the most stunning exchange, Strzok told Page that Trump wouldn’t become president because “we’ll stop it.”

Strzok played a central role in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of private email during her time as secretary of state before pivoting to the Russia probe. And he even briefly joined Mueller’s team, when the former FBI director was tapped to continue to Russia probe last year, before the special counsel removed him after the anti-Trump texts surfaced.

While DOJ’s internal watchdog, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, has concluded that Strzok's personal beliefs did not affect the major decisions in the Clinton probe, he is still investigating whether Strzok’s political views were walled off from his decision-making in the Russia probe.

“I don’t know how any reasonable person reads the exits and concludes there’s no bias," Meadows said Wednesday.

While the Mueller investigation came up during Wednesday's interview, the Clinton probe was the main focus, according to Krishnamoorthi.

Krishnamoorthi said that after talking to Strzok, his overall impression is that there was no FBI conspiracy to help Clinton or hurt Trump.

"I don’t walk away with the impression that political bias actually controlled the actions of FBI agents," he said.

The interview also touched on recent reports that Strzok was escorted from his FBI office and had security clearance was suspended shortly after the IG report was publicly released.

Krishnamoorthi said Strzok's removal is the subject of “confidential or classified information.”

Many Trump supporters also allege that Strzok was the architect of a plan to soft-pedal the FBI’s Clinton probe and pivot to the Trump-Russia investigation that has hobbled and distracted the president during his first two years in office.

During Wednesday's interview, Strzok defended this decision, according to Jackson Lee.

“He believes he focused on the Russia investigation appropriately," she said, echoing a line from Strzok's attorney that it made logical sense to prioritize an investigation into a foreign adversary possibly attempting to manipulate a U.S. presidential race.

Strzok told lawmakers that wants to remain at the FBI, an idea that Republicans have dismissed but some Democrats have welcomed.

"Peter Strzok is a credible witness," Jackson Lee said. "I believe he can be an effective investigator for this nation."

The entire GOP effort, said Raskin, the Maryland Democrat, boils down to “a handful of texts between a couple that has now been made more famous than Bonnie and Clyde.”