Ex-FBI lawyer won’t attend interview with House lawmakers: attorney

Former FBI attorney Lisa Page, whose text messages with FBI agent Peter Strzok became a flashpoint amid allegations of anti-Trump bias at the bureau, will not appear for interviews on Wednesday with House lawmakers, her lawyer said.

Page’s lawyer said in a statement obtained by Politico that she will not comply with a congressional subpoena to testify before the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees.

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“Instead of responding to our requests to explain the scope of the interview and provide sufficient notice to allow her to prepare, the Committees chose to issue a subpoena,” Page’s attorney wrote.

“The Committees would be asking Lisa about materials that she has not yet been shown,” the lawyer continued. “As a result, Lisa is not going to appear for an interview at this time.”

LISA PAGE: The former FBI lawyer will *not* comply with a congressional subpoena to appear tomorrow before two House committees, her attorney says. The full statement: pic.twitter.com/pCBhfZEIZC

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 10, 2018

Republicans on the committees have homed in on texts between Page and Strzok that were critical of then-candidate Donald Trump as evidence of broader FBI bias against his campaign.

Strzok is slated to appear in a public hearing on Thursday. Page’s lawyer pushed back at the committee at the time the subpoena was issued, accusing the committees of providing insufficient notice that would allow her to prepare for the investigation.

“We asked the Committee staff to explain the scope of the investigation and provide sufficient notice that would allow her to prepare, which are normal conditions for congressional committees, but these committees have not followed the normal process,” Amy Jeffress, Page’s lawyer, said in a statement.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) blasted Page’s announcement in a statement Tuesday night, accusing the former FBI lawyer of having “something to hide.”

“She has known for months that the House Judiciary Committee has sought her testimony as part of our joint investigation with the Oversight Committee into decisions made by the Justice Department in 2016, and she has no excuse for her failure to appear,” Goodlatte wrote.

“We will use all tools at our disposal to obtain her testimony. Americans across the country are alarmed at the bias exhibited by top officials at the Justice Department and FBI, and it is imperative Congress conduct vigorous oversight to ensure that never happens again.”