Rep. John Ratcliffe: Former FBI Lawyer Lisa Page Said Obama DOJ Ordered FBI Not To Charge Hillary Clinton; No Russia Collusion
WASHINGTON DC (CBSDFW.COM) – United States Representative John Ratcliffe (R-TX) tweeted late Tuesday that, according to former Federal Bureau of Investigation lawyer Lisa Page, President Barack Obama's Department of Justice was influencing the FBI's investigation into the Hillary Clinton classified email investigation.
"Lisa Page confirmed to me under oath that the FBI was ordered by the Obama DOJ not to consider charging Hillary Clinton for gross negligence in the handling of classified information," Ratcliffe tweeted.
He also included a transcript excerpt of his interview with Page:
Mr. Ratcliffe: Okay. So let me if I can, I know I'm testing your memory, but when you say advice you got from the Department, you're making it sound like it was the Department that told you: You're not going to charge gross negligence because we're the prosecutors and we're telling you we're not going to –
Ms. Page: That is Correct.
See the entire transcript of the Page testimony here (PDF).
In July 2016, then FBI Director James Comey made the decision to announce that he was recommending that no charges be filed over the investigation into Clinton's emails. "Our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case," Comey said after detailing the FBI's findings in its investigation of Clinton's use of personal email servers. "No charges are appropriate in this case."
Ratcliffe also tweeted that -- according to Page's testimony -- her former coworker FBI agent Peter Strzok indicated there was no evidence of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign in the 2016 Presidential Election.
"The newly released transcripts of my interview with Lisa Page indicate that Peter Strzok had no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia prior to the launch of the FBI and special counsel investigations into the matter," said Ratcliffe.
Attached to this tweet was another transcript excerpt:
Mr. Ratcliffe: Okay. So that same day in the consideration of this, he texts you and says: "You and I both know the odds are nothing. If I thought it was likely, I'd be there, no question. I hesitate, in part, because of my gut sense and concern there's no big there there." What's he talking about?
Ms. Page: So I think this represents that even as far as of May of 2017, we still couldn't answer the question – sorry. Can I consult with counsel? I'm sorry, I need to consult with FBI counsel for a moment.
President trump reacted Wednesday morning to the recently released transcripts of Agent Page's testimony saying in a tweet, "The just revealed FBI Agent Lisa Page transcripts make the Obama Justice Department look exactly like it was, a broken and corrupt machine. Hopefully, justice will finally be served. Much more to come!"
President Trump has maintained that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.
In May of 2017, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Mueller special counsel to investigate possible Trump Campaign/Russian collusion in the 2016 election.
A report is expected soon from Mueller.
Ratcliffe is a Congressman for Texas' 4th District which includes counties in Northeast Texas near the Dallas / Fort Worth area.