"More text messages between former FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are a disaster and embarrassment to the FBI & DOJ," President Donald Trump tweeted. | Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images Trump: New Strzok-Page texts are 'disaster' for FBI, Justice Department

President Donald Trump said Thursday that newly released text messages between former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI attorney Lisa Page are a "disaster" to the bureau and the Department of Justice.

"More text messages between former FBI employees Peter Strzok and Lisa Page are a disaster and embarrassment to the FBI & DOJ," Trump tweeted. "This should never have happened but we are learning more and more by the hour. 'Others were leaking like mad' in order to get the President!"


Fox News on Wednesday published previously undisclosed text messages between Strzok and Page, including an exchange that reportedly happened on Dec. 15, 2016, in which Strzok texted Page to say "think our sisters have begun leaking like mad. Scorned and worried, and political, they’re kicking into overdrive."

The president and his allies have been persistent in their attacks against Strzok and Page, FBI employees who were involved romantically and exchanged text messages critical of the president. Strzok was part of the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server as well as its probe of Russian interference efforts in the 2016 election. He also worked for the office of special counsel Robert Mueller but was removed once his text messages with Page were made public.

Strzok was fired from the FBI last August.

Trump and others have suggested that Strzok's and Page's activities are part of a larger "deep state" scheme within the Justice Department to undermine the president. Trump has consistently called Mueller's investigation into whether Russia colluded with his 2016 campaign a "witch hunt," even though that probe has secured multiple indictments and the cooperation of at least four former Trump campaign officials. The investigation has also been widened to possible obstruction of justice by the president.

CORRECTION: This article initially misstated when Strzok was fired from the FBI. He was fired in August.