re: WSJ analysis of Strzok's texts. You're not going to like it

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WASHINGTON—In the summer of 2016, FBI Agent Peter Strzok had just wrapped up the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and was embarking on a probe into Moscow’s interference in the presidential election. As he watched the Republican National Convention and scanned intelligence reports and news stories, he made clear how he felt about his new target: “f*ck the cheating motherf*cking Russians,” he texted in late July. “Bastards. I hate them.”

“I think they’re probably the worst,” texted Mr. Strzok, who had spent years tracking Russian spies and was familiar with their tactics. “F*cking conniving cheating savages. At statecraft, athletics, you name it. I’m glad I’m on Team USA.”

The messages were sent to FBI lawyer Lisa Page, one of thousands turned over by the Justice Department to Congress on Jan. 19 as part of an internal inquiry into how the Federal Bureau of Investigation handled its investigation into Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page, who were in an extramarital affair at the time, have been accused of bias against President Donald Trump after some previously released emails showed their disdain for the president.

In the new texts, provided to Congress and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the pair’s distaste for Mr. Trump re-emerges. After the 2016 election, Mr. Strzok wrote, “OMG I am so depressed.” Ms. Page replied, “I don’t know if I can eat. I am very nauseous.”

Republicans have said the FBI’s handling of the Clinton probe and the Russia investigation, as well as the criticism of Mr. Trump in the couple’s exchanges, indicate bias against the president and have suggested a conspiracy to undermine him.

Mr. Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last month that he interpreted Mr. Strzok’s messages to Ms. Page as “treason.” Mr. Strzok’s attorney said at the time the president’s accusation was “beyond reckless.”

Texts critical of Mr. Trump represent a fraction of the roughly 7,000 messages, which stretch across 384 pages and show no evidence of a conspiracy against Mr. Trump. Rather, a broader look shows an unvarnished and complex picture of the lives of an FBI agent and lawyer who found themselves at the center of highly charged probes.

They logged long hours and frequently worked on weekends. They seemed dedicated to their jobs but didn’t hesitate to chastise or criticize many others beyond Mr. Trump, including their colleagues and each other. In deeply personal office chatter, they come across as intense, ambitious and unsure of their standing in the bureau.

After serving as the lead agent on the investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s server while she was secretary of state, Mr. Strzok was promoted to deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division.

A longtime spy-hunter, he was tasked with helping supervise the Russia probe. After Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel for the probe on May 17, Mr. Strzok joined his office as its top agent.

Yet, he was ambivalent about taking the job, even if Mr. Mueller’s investigation was one that was certain to end up “in the history books.”

Unsure the investigation would lead anywhere, Mr. Strzok worried that leaving the bureau might harm his chances of advancement, and was concerned he wouldn’t play a key role.

“I don’t know what I want, Lisa,” Mr. Strzok, 47 years old, wrote in a text message to Ms. Page, 38, on May 24. “I don’t want to be anything but the lead agent. And I think even that is going to be a far cry from the inner sanctum of what Bob decides.”

He served in the special counsel’s office about two months before Mr. Mueller learned in July about the disparaging texts and dismissed him. He has since been assigned to human resources at the FBI.

Ms. Page and Mr. Strzok couldn't be reached for comment

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