Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has made a sworn statement, made public last week, revealing that in 2018, then-President Donald Trump had discussed the possibility of investigating two FBI officials involved in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.
The New York Times reported on Kelly’s statement, which was disclosed in connection to lawsuits brought by former Russia investigation lead agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
Strzok and Page are suing the Justice Department, alleging that their privacy was violated when Trump Justice Department officials publicly released their private text messages.
In his statement, Kelly mentioned that Trump’s comment was recorded in notes he had taken during a meeting in February 2018. Kelly shared copies of these notes with attorneys representing one of the plaintiffs in the case and provided the sworn statement in a court filing.
According to Kelly’s statement, President Trump inquired whether the IRS or “other federal agencies” should investigate Strzok and Page. Kelly admitted that he could not confirm if Trump was “ordering such an investigation,” but he believed that Trump “wanted to see Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page investigated.”
“President Trump questioned whether investigations by the Internal Revenue Service or other federal agencies should be undertaken into Mr. Strzok and/or Ms. Page,” Kelly claimed.
“I do not know of President Trump ordering such an investigation. It appeared, however, that he wanted to see Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page investigated,” he added.
The disclosure made by Kelly, under penalty of perjury, has raised concerns about Trump’s alleged interest in using the federal government to target individuals he perceived as enemies.
The New York Times reports that last year, former FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe were subjected to invasive IRS audits after leaving the FBI. However, it remains uncertain whether the IRS actually investigated Strzok and Page.
Kelly’s assertion that Trump had expressed interest in investigating Strzok and Page was first revealed in late 2022.
In November of that year, Kelly told The New York Times that Trump had expressed his desire for the IRS to investigate several political enemies, including James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, and Lisa Page.
The sworn statement released last week also revealed that Trump had discussed revoking Strzok and Page’s security clearances, although Kelly took no action on the matter.
Moreover, Kelly disclosed that Trump disapproved of note-taking during meetings, fearing that these notes might be used against him later. The former chief of staff’s testimony sheds light on the inner workings of the Trump administration and raises questions about potential attempts to leverage government agencies for political purposes.
“I did not make a note of every instance in which then President Trump made a comment about Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page,” Kelly claimed.
“President Trump generally disapproved of note-taking in meetings. He expressed concern that the notes might later be used against him,” he alleged.
The matter remains under scrutiny as investigations and legal proceedings continue.
