FBI Author of Anti-Trump Text Messages Still Employed by the Bureau - Lawyer

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who was removed from the probe of purported Russia's election meddling over a series of anti-Trump text messages, is still employed by the Bureau despite being escorted from his office, his lawyer said in a statement.

Strzok was seen being escorted from the FBI building on Friday as part of an investigation, according to media reports.

"Peter Strzok remains a proud FBI agent who wants to continue working to keep the American people safe," his lawyer Aitan Goelman wrote in a statement issued on Tuesday. "Pete has complied with every FBI procedure, including being escorted from the building as part of the ongoing internal proceedings."

Goelman said the disciplinary process for Strzok "appears tainted by political influence."

"Instead of publicly calling for a long-serving FBI agent to be summarily fired, politicians should allow the disciplinary process to play out free from political pressure," Goelman stated.

Strzok was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russiagate probe over a series of anti-Trump messages he exchanged with an FBI lawyer with whom he was having an affair.

A report last week by the Department of Justice Inspector General revealed the most explosive message to date, in which Strzok said Trump would not be elected president because, "We’ll stop it."

The report also recommended Strzok be subjected to a FBI disciplinary process, in part because his messages had tainted the agency’s reputation for political neutrality.

Strzok led the FBI investigation of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s email scandal and served briefly on Muller’s team before being removed as anti-Trump messages began surfacing.