According to a New York Times report, the agent was reassigned this summer from special counsel Robert Mueller's team to the F.B.I.’s human resources department. | Andrew Harnik/AP Top FBI agent was removed from Russia probe over allegations he made anti-Trump statements

A spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller confirmed Saturday that a top FBI agent was removed from the Russia investigation following allegations he made statements critical of President Donald Trump to a colleague.

"Immediately upon learning of the allegations, the Special Counsel’s Office removed Peter Strzok from the investigation," Muller spokesman Peter Carr said in a statement. "Lisa Page completed her brief detail and had returned to the FBI weeks before our office was aware of the allegations.”


Carr's statement comes after the New York Times and Washington Post published reports Strzok sent Page, a fellow agent, text messages critical of Trump. According the Post's report, Strzok and Page were allegedly having an affair during the time the messages were exchanged.

According to the Times' report, Strzok was reassigned this summer from Mueller's team to the F.B.I.’s human resources department.

In a statement, Attorney General Jeff Session again suggested he might discipline an employee for actions in an investigation he recused himself from, saying: "The allegations that the Inspector General has confirmed are part of his ongoing investigation, if proven to be true, would raise serious questions of public trust. I look forward to receiving the Inspector General's report. We will ensure that anyone who works on any investigation in the Department of Justice does so objectively and free from bias or favoritism.

"The Inspector General has been working diligently to complete his investigation for months, and I have requested he complete it as soon as possible. The American people deserve answers.

" ... I have directed that the FBI Director review the information available on this and other matters and promptly make any necessary changes to his management and investigative teams consistent with the highest professional standards."

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the FBI said: "The matter is an ongoing investigation by the Office of Inspector General, consistent with well-established processes designed to objectively, thoroughly and fairly determine the facts regarding potential wrongdoing.

"The FBI has clearly defined policies and procedures regarding appropriate employee conduct, including communications. When the FBI first learned of the allegations, the employees involved were immediately reassigned, consistent with practices involving employee matters."

The Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General earlier had released a more cryptic statement, saying it is reviewing allegations of communications between individuals linked to the bureau's investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server.

"The OIG has been reviewing allegations involving communications between certain individuals, and will report its findings regarding those allegations promptly upon completion of the review of them," the office said in a statement.

President Trump has long claimed that Mueller's investigation into the 2016 presidential election and Russian meddling in the process is a "witch hunt," since Mueller is examining allegations of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Such anti-Trump statements could buttress the belief that the probe is politically motivated.

The Justice Department OIG is looking into how the FBI handled the investigation of Clinton's server.