Name: FBI Termination Letter to Top Official Who Denigrated Trump Revealed
Uploaded: 2025-01-04T20:39:16.000Z
Description: The FBI's termination letter to the official who led two high-profile investigations has been published, revealing another official made the choice to fire the agent because of "repeated, sustained errors of judgement."

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

NTD Plus

News

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Cuba Could See Major Changes to Its Ruling Regime This Year: Analyst

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Rubio: Strait of Hormuz Needs to Reopen–Even If Iran Refuses

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

Potential Flour Additive Ban Threatening NYC Bagels, Pizza

Daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin Repeats Calls for His Release

Trump Reacts to Final Episode of ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’

Taiwan: No Confirmation From US on Arms Sale Pause

Andrew Thomas is a reporter for NTD News primarily covering business, the economy, and technology. 

Andrew Thomas

Artwork Stolen During 1990 Boston Museum Heist Remains Missing

Texas Sues Meta, WhatsApp Alleging Misleading Claims About Security Features

War Department Releases 2nd Batch of UFO Files

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Courts

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Dismisses Alabama's Bid to Execute Inmate With Borderline Intellectual Disability

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 22)

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.

Kevin Hogan

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 21)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 20)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 19)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 18)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 15)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 14)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 11)

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Health News

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

Haika Mrema

Medical Plane Crash in New Mexico Mountains Kills 4, Sparks Wildfire

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

India Responds to Trump’s Repost of Birthright Citizenship Comment

The FBI's termination letter to the official who led two high-profile investigations has been published, revealing another official made the choice to fire the agent because of "repeated, sustained errors of judgement."

David Bowdich, the FBI's deputy director, informed Peter Strzok that he was fired in August 2018. A draft of the termination letter <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23117372-bowdich-letter-to-strzok">was recently made public</a> in a legal case brought by Strzok against his former employer.

In the letter, Bowdich said he was having difficulty fathoming Strzok's "repeated, sustained errors of judgement" while leading the probe into Russia and President Donald Trump, and the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

While the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General did not find evidence of bias impacting the investigations, "your sustained pattern of bad judgement in the use of an FBI device has called into question for many the decisions made during both the Clinton e-mail investigation and the initial states of the Russian Collusion investigation," Bowdich added. "In short, your repeated selfishness has called into question the credibility of the entire FBI."

Strzok exchanged thousands of <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/top-fbi-officials-discussed-secret-society-working-against-trump-text-messages-show_2421822.html">text messages</a> with FBI lawyer Lisa Page while the investigations were happening. They both expressed animus against Trump and his supporters.

"In my 23 years in the FBI, I have not seen a more impactful series of missteps which called into question the entire organization and more thoroughly damaged the reputation of the organization," Bowdich wrote. He said Strzok, as a deputy assistant director, was supposed to be a leader, setting an example for others in the bureau and being "beyond reproach."

"You failed to do so repeatedly and put your own interests about the interests of the organization. Though it pains me to do so, it is for this reason that I am dismissing you from the rolls of the FBI," Bowdich concluded.

Strzok did not respond to a request for comment. In <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/peter-strzok-sues-fbi-over-firing-for-anti-trump-text-messages-accuses-bureau-of-caving-in-to-pressure_3032372.html">his legal complaint</a>, he alleged Bowdich's decision "was the result of unrelenting pressure from President Trump and his political allies in Congress and the media" and violated his constitutional rights. Trump repeatedly posted missives on social media about Strzok, calling him one of the "bad players" in the government and asserting he "should have been fired a long time ago."

Strzok is seeking reinstatement to his position, back pay, and damages.


<h2>Capitol Hill Appearance</h2>
A month before Strzok was fired, he appeared before lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/republicans-grill-strzok-during-tense-house-hearing_2591030.html">defending his texts</a>.

Strzok said the texts "have provided ammunition for misguided attacks against the FBI and that "not once in my 26 years of defending my nation did my personal opinions impact any official action I took."

Strzok also claimed the hearing itself was "a victory notch on Putin's belt," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Then-Rep Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), for instance, said that the texts showed Strzok engaged in "textbook bias."

In <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23117407-bowdich-email">an email</a> made public the ongoing legal case, Bowdich said that Strzok "held up well" during the hearing, but "he made some very serious mistakes by opining about a Presidential candidate, or maligning any political candidate."

"In the FBI we draw a very hard line about any political opinions at the workplace......rightly so. In this case it was particularly harmful to our reputation with a segment of the country," he added.

Bowdich was responding to a person named Jim, whose last name was redacted. The person told Bowdich that Strzok made the FBI "look great," and claimed the Republicans on the panel came across as operating with bias.


<h2>'Seeing the Damage'</h2>
Bowdich sat for a deposition for the case. A partial transcript <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23117409-doj-filing-in-strzok-case">was released</a> by the Department of Justice, which is attempting to convince a judge not to grant Strzok's requests to depose Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

"I had looked at those texts over and over and over again and I was seeing the damage that it was doing to our organization," Bowdich said during the deposition, adding later: "I am taking all—all the noise, all that stuff, I try to clear that out completely and really focus on, What is the message that we are sending internally across the board? Because this isn't a GS-10 agent, a brand new agent. This is a Deputy Assistant Director with ... 20 years of experience, extensive experience in counterintelligence, of all things[.]"

Bowdich, meanwhile, said that he did not recall ever discussing Strzok with Trump and that Wray also never told him about a meeting with Trump in which Trump pressured Wray to fire Strzok.

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was also deposed. He said that he was not involved in the decision to terminate Strzok and does not recall speaking to Wray or Trump about the matter.

The depositions bolster the argument that neither Trump nor Wray should be deposed, DOJ lawyers said.

"In light of former President Trump’s repeated statements calling for and then claiming credit for Strzok’s firing and his otherwise egregious conduct towards Strzok, Plaintiff should be allowed to depose those with first-hand knowledge of his actions," his lawyers wrote <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23117410-strzok-filing-on-depositions">in a filing</a>. "Nothing from the Bowdich or Rosenstein depositions supports the government’s arguments to the contrary.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/fbi-termination-letter-to-top-official-who-denigrated-trump-revealed_4772010.html">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Videos

Politics

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Peter Strzok

Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at zack.stieber@epochtimes.com

Zachary Stieber

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.