Purported FBI lovers Lisa Page and Peter Strzok had some nasty things to say about Fox News in a cache of text messages released this week as part of a 500 page document dump by Sen. Ron Johnson, (R) Wisconsin, into Hillary Clinton‘s use of a private email server and subsequent possible bias within the FBI and DOJ. Compared with discussions about various other media sources, the two seemed both anxious about and irritated by Fox.
On October 20, 2016, Peter Strzok says:
“Hi. Watching the post-debate commentary. Vaguely satisfying to see Megyn Kelley [sic] (who had botox and looks HORRIBLE) utterly going after Trump.”
Earlier, during the actual debate, he said:
“Chris Wallace is a turd.”
Kelly, whose name Strzok misspelled, has since left Fox for NBC, but was with Fox when the comment occurred. To be fair, Page and Strzok did discuss reports on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and a number of traditional print publications — but from a factual standpoint, it appears, and not a scathing one.
Though some of the messages between Page and Strzok had previously been leaked and discussed publicly, the release of the messages directly from Sen. Johnson this week is providing a fuller picture of the communications between Page and Strzok.
Here are a series of other texts between the two surrounding Fox:
10/16/2015
Page discusses Fox’s use of a supposed “expert” who the two did not appear to like. The conversation appears to have surrounded this report.
1/7/2016
“That fox website has some amazing stuff,” Page commented.
3/4/2016
The two appeared to be joking about whether Fox’s coverage of a presidential debate lived up to the network’s “fair and balanced” slogan. Strzok sent the comment about the slogan.
5/4/2016
Strzok: “Bill is super stressed about the new Fox report.” There is no elaboration as to which report is being discussed.
7/6/2016
Strzok: “Also, Fox reporting D is testifying tomorrow. Bill was not at the prep session this morning. Not sure what’s happening, but coordination does not appear to be ideal.”
11/6/2016
Strzok says, “Going to pour myself a glass of wine” watching President Trump talk about Hillary Clinton. He’s watching CNN. Page is watching Fox, she says
11/26/2016
Strzok: “You see Trump chose a Fox News analyst as his Dep Ntnl Security advisor?” There appeared to be no clear response.
[Image via MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images.]