While doing my radio show, I have the news silently playing on a television screen in the studio. Without sound, the highly anticipated appearance of anti-Trump FBI agent Peter Strzok before a Congressional committee looked like chaos.
That's because California Democrat Eric Swalwell made a motion to subpoena Steve Banoon after House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., threatened to proceed with a contempt citation for Strzok if he continued to refuse to answer questions about the FBI’s Russia investigation. Bannon did not answer questions from lawmakers earlier this year.
The key moment in the hearing can be summed up like this:
Strzok denied that political bias influenced his professional conduct and that he was simply stating political opinions in a highly-charged election year.
BUT...when Strzok was challenged to tell the committee what he meant when he texted lover Lisa Page "we'll stop" then-candidate Donald Trump, he refused to answer based on instructions from FBI counsel.
And there's the rub. While it's hard to believe that Strzok strongly held feelings against Trump DIDN'T influence his conduct, the "we'll stop" text makes it ESPECIALLY hard-to-believe. And who is "we?"
THESE are the key questions of the probe and Strzok refused to answer them.