Former FBI lawyer Lisa Page is suing her former employer and the US Justice Department, claiming the government violated the US Privacy Act by leaking her messages to the press.

The lawsuit follows just a day after the release of a Justice Department inspector general report, which found that investigation into Donald Trump's 2016 campaign was not started out of political animus towards the then-candidate — as he has claimed, using Ms Page's text messages to former FBI agent Peter Strzok trashing him as evidence of the conspiracy.

"I sued the Department of Justice and FBI today," Ms Page wrote on Twitter.

She continued: "I take little joy in having done so. But what they did in leaking my messages to the press was not only wrong, it was illegal."

Ms Page is suing the US using the Privacy Act of 1974, which governs how the government can collect, maintain, use, and disseminate personally identifiable information in federal systems. In court documents, Ms Page notes that the law is particularly relevant to federal employees, since they often submit a vast array of information in order to receive approval for employment.

Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Show all 10 1 /10 Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Donald Trump laughs with US troops after serving them Thanksgiving dinner at Bagram airbase during a surprise visit to Afghanistan AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan It was the president's first visit to Afghanistan AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan As is traditional with senior politicians, he was happy to help serve the troops – his vice-president Mike Pence did the same for US forces in Iraq a few days earlier AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Mr Trump gets stuck in. He told troops he had only been able to have a mouthful of mashed potatoes – and no turkey – before being dragged off to address them AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan The president applauds as his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani addresses troops AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Mr Trump said that he was willing to restart talks with the Taliban REUTERS Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan He told US troops: "The Taliban wants to make a deal. And we are meeting with them and we say it has to be a ceasefire and they didn't want to do a ceasefire and now they want to do a ceasefire, I believe. It will probably work out that way." AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Mr Trump was accompanied on his trip by his national security adviser, Robert O'Brien. While it was his first trip to Afghanistan since becoming president in January 2017, he has been to a warzone once before when he visited troops in Iraq AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan The president told troops that he had flown 8,331 miles to be there to tell them the US has never been stronger. He said: "There is nowhere I'd rather celebrate Thanksgiving." AFP via Getty Images Trump makes surprise Thanksgiving visit to US troops in Afghanistan Mr Ghani and Mr Trump holding talks at Bagram airbase. Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and more than 2,400 American service members have been killed since America's longest war began 18 years ago AP

Her case has become one of the most recognisable in the ongoing drama between Mr Trump and American intelligence services, after texts between her and Mr Strzok were made public detailing their views towards president.

The leaked texts show that, during the 2016 election, the pair — who were then said to be having an affair — Ms Page and Mr Strzok expressed fear to one another about a potential Trump presidency.

"[Trump's] not ever going to become president? Right?!" Ms Page wrote to him. She also reportedly wrote: "This man cannot be president," according to the New York Times.

Those are among some 375 text messages included in a 90 page document released by the US government to reporters in December 2017, according to Ms Page's new lawsuit, which argues that the officials who authorised that release "sought to use, and ultimately did use, the messages to promote the false narrative that [Ms Page] and others at the FBI were biased against President Trump, had conspired to undermine him, and otherwise had engaged in allegedly criminal acts, including treason."