Peter Strzok: I’ve Never Been Biased in Any Case, Never Recused Myself

Disgraced FBI special agent Peter Strzok told House Judiciary and House Oversight Committee members Thursday he has never acted in a biased manner or recused himself from an investigation.

A partial transcript follows:

REP. RAUL LABRADOR (R-ID): Has there ever been a time when your professional actions or you believe you had bias where you needed to move on from an investigation at any time?

FBI AGENT PETER STRZOK: No

LABRADOR: No Has there been a time in your career that you recused yourself from a professional action?

STRZOK: No

LABRADOR: Okay, you’ll be surprised that I actually believe that the Russians tried to destabilize our economy, our way of life, our government. I think they have been doing it for a long time. I’m curious if this is the first time that Russia tried to interfere with an American election?

STRZOK: I’m aware of times where they – going back to the sixties and seventies where they planted evidence seeking to introduce items of information that were false in newspapers – I’m not aware of any direct outreach to members of a presidential candidate or his immediate team.

LABRADOR: Did they attempt to interfere in the 2012 elections?

STRZOK: I am certain they did, yes.

Strzok maintained through the congressional hearing that he expressed political opinions on his FBI work phone but that those opinions did not amount to bias which influenced his investigations of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. The exchange with Rep. Labrador found Strzok taking the extra step of claiming that he has never found himself to be biased in his decades of public service.

Strzok also revealed that he self-selected which texts he turned over to Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general Michael Horowitz.