AG Sessions: Peter Strzok was escorted out of the FBI because he lost his security clearance

Tuesday, Peter Strzok was escorted out of the FBI building, apparently in connection with the IG report which raised questions about his bias against then-candidate Trump and specifically about his promise (to Lisa Page) that he would “stop” Trump from becoming president. Today, AG Jeff Sessions appeared on a radio show and revealed the reason Strzok was booted: He has lost his security clearance. From the Daily Caller:

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday that former FBI official Peter Strzok has lost his security clearance amid an internal disciplinary review.

“Mr. Strzok, as I understand, has lost his security clearance,” Sessions told radio host Howie Carr.

Today, Fox News has a report in which a retired FBI agent calls the ejection of Strzok a “rare occurrence.”

“A referral certainly is very serious and they will investigate the accusations if it’s serious enough,” retired FBI special agent and former national spokesman John Iannarelli told Fox News Thursday. “The accusations are a violation of FBI rules.”…

Iannarelli told Fox News that Strzok’s forcible exit from the bureau was a “rare occurrence,” and that he has seen a number of FBI employees who were eventually terminated, but continued performing functions until OPR decisions were made.

“To be escorted out of the building before the OPR investigation is completed and a decision is rendered is fairly extraordinary,” Iannarelli said.

An unnamed former official at the Justice Department told Fox News the loss of security clearance could be the immediate cause to remove Strzok from the premises but speculated that there might be some bad news (for Strzok) in the forthcoming IG report on the FBI’s Russia investigation:

“My take is that it is possible that escorting him out meant that the inspector general’s Russia investigation is going to be brutal for him,” the former official told Fox News. “If you’re the subject or mentioned by name in an OIG report, they typically show you the parts of the report that relate to you.”

The official added: “At the end of the day, one of the drafts of the next inspector general report is making its way around and the findings are alarming to the FBI.”…

The former official also speculated the Strzok’s escort out of the building could be related to a loss of security clearance, or even the findings of personal texts or emails from Strzok and Page that the inspector general was not able to obtain.

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IG Horowitz has already confirmed that he is working on a separate report relating to the FBI’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation. Whatever the case, it seems the ax could finally be about to fall on Strzok’s career. Here’s the interview with AG Sessions in which he reveals Strozk has lost his security clearance:

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