'This is a lie. Nothing like this ever happened': Ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page tears into Trump claim

William Cummings | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Former FBI official Lisa Page fires back at Trump Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page gave a rare interview, saying "I'm done being quiet."

WASHINGTON – Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page said President Donald Trump lied about her and former FBI Agent Peter Strzok during his rally Tuesday night in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where he once again mocked and derided the pair for disparaging remarks they made about him in text messages.

At the rally, Trump claimed, without evidence, that Page had taken out a restraining order against Strzok.

"That's what I heard. I don't know," Trump said.

"This is a lie," Page said in a tweet responding to a clip of Trump's comments. "Nothing like this ever happened. I wish we had a president who knew how to act like one. SAD!"

It was unclear upon what the president was basing his claim.

Trump has frequently targeted Page and Strzok since their text messages surfaced during special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference and potential collusion with the Trump campaign. Strzok was removed from Mueller's team because of the texts and was later dismissed from the FBI. Page resigned from the bureau in May 2018.

'I decided to take my power back': Ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page speaks out on Trump's 'sickening' attacks

More: Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page accuses FBI and Justice Department of violating privacy by releasing anti-Trump texts

This is a lie. Nothing like this ever happened.



I wish we had a president who knew how to act like one. SAD!https://t.co/7YQaQRxWzu — Lisa Page (@NatSecLisa) December 11, 2019

The president has held them up as proof the Russia investigation was a politically motivated "witch hunt," and did so again Tuesday, despite a report from the Justice Department's inspector general that found the launch of the probe was legally justified. In his attacks, the president has also often mocked them for an extramarital affair that was revealed in their exchanges.

On Tuesday, Trump said Page and Strzok were "so in love" that they "couldn't see straight." He then said he had "heard" Page had to get a restraining order against Strzok.

"I don't know if it's true. The fake news will never report it. but it could be true," Trump said, drawing jeers from the crowd at the mention of the news media. "No, that's what I heard. I don't know. I mean, who could believe a thing like that? No, I heard that Peter Strzok needed a restraining order to keep him away from his once lover. Ah, Lisa, I hope you miss him. Lisa, he'll never be the same."

Page, 39, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Justice Department for violating federal privacy law with the release of her exchanges with Strzok.

In a rare interview this month, Page spoke out about Trump's "sickening" attacks on her, which she said were "demeaning me and my career."

GOP reacts to Lisa Page interview: 'I actually think that she feels really sorry for herself'

"But it's also very intimidating because he’s still the president of the United States. And when the president accuses you of treason by name, despite the fact that I know there's no fathomable way that I have committed any crime at all, let alone treason, he's still somebody in a position to actually do something about that," she told The Daily Beast.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz examined her text messages with Strzok as part of his probe into whether anti-Trump bias played a role in the decision to open the Russia investigation.

Horowitz found that while the texts "created an appearance of bias" and "raised serious questions" about the validity of decisions involving Page and Strzok, Page was not part of the decision to start the probe. And Horowitz said Strzok "was not the sole, or even the highest level decision maker."

Contributing: Kevin Johnson

DOJ IG report: FBI wiretap of Trump campaign aide riddled with errors, but Russia probe legally justified