Republican lawmakers took a softer tone when speaking of FBI lawyer Lisa Page following a five-hour, closed-door interview session in front of House committee members investigating potential bias from agency actors during the 2016 election campaign according to Fox News.

Describing her performance as cooperative and credible according to The Hill, Republican politicians seemed pleased that Lisa Page was willing to drop the smug, smarmy demeanor adopted by a fellow agent and interviewee Peter Strzok, who testified in an open session last Thursday. GOP Representative Mark Meadows, himself a frequent and vocal critic of Page, softened his verbiage following her testimony to the committee. Saying that he believes the American people would be happy with her new revelations and her honesty, Rep. Meadows seemed to have turned a new page on the female half of the embattled pair.

“She’s been willing to help in the spirit of transparency. … We’ve certainly learned additional things today.”

The Republican-headed probe is a joint operation led by the chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees and has the power to issue an order of contempt of Congress should the interviewees offer up no cooperation to questioning.

It is expected that the committee with continue with a cross examination of the evidence offered up by both agents, pitting their testimonies against each other in order to determine if any lies or fabrications can be outed in doing so. Lisa Page will face a second round of questioning from members of congress tomorrow, according to CNN.

An unnamed Democratic Party source insisted that the testimony offered up by Lisa Page – at least in her first two hours of questioning – did not appear to directly contradict anything that Peter Strzok had said, keeping their stories straight.

Remarkably, we learned new information today suggesting the DOJ had not notified Lisa Page of Congress' outstanding interview requests for over 7 months now. The DOJ/FBI appear to be continuing their efforts to keep material facts, and perhaps even witnesses, from Congress. — Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) July 13, 2018

Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican representing Florida, questioned the presence of FBI legal counsel accompanying Lisa Page given that Page is no longer with the agency.

“Lisa Page is not an FBI employee, but the FBI was here providing counsel and giving her direction as to which questions to answer or not answer and there is a question as to the propriety of that before the House,” Gaetz said according to The Hill.

Featured image credit: Chip Somodevilla Getty Images

Lisa Page and Peter Strzok were conducting an illicit affair as revealed by their captured text messages, though both are married to other people as reported by the Inquisitr. In those text messages were several anti-Trump sentiments, including one sent from Strzok to Page that says “we’ll stop” Trump’s eventual succession to the Presidency.

For his part, Peter Strzok denied any recollection of having sent that text according to Fox News.

“I don’t recall writing that text,” Strzok said during Thursday’s interview in front of committee members. “What I can tell you is that text in no way suggested that I or the FBI would take any action to influence the candidacy.”

“That is a fantastic answer to a question nobody asked,” Rep. Trey Gowdy, a Republican Representative for South Carolina.

“As I’ve stated, that text was written late at night, in shorthand,” Strzok attempted to explain.

Gowdy refused to accept the answer, dismissing the explanation as obfuscation.

“I don’t care when it was written. I don’t care whether it was long hand, cursive. I don’t care about any of that. I want to know what it meant, Agent Strzok.”

Following Lisa Page’s final interview on Monday, political news junkies expect a full partisan breakdown as details are leaked to the press and to the public at large.