Lawyers representing two former FBI employees suing Donald Trump as part of a civil case worry that the potential government shutdown will impact the former president's scheduled deposition.
Peter Strzok and Lisa Page sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI in 2019, claiming wrongful termination. Strzok, an agent for more than 20 years, was tasked with investigating allegations of collusion between Trump and Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.
He was fired from the bureau following the release of text messages between him and Page, an FBI lawyer, that espoused various anti-Trump sentiments, including support for 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. It resulted in Trump continually attacking the pair, calling it emblematic of a wide-ranging conspiracy involving U.S. intelligence agencies. Page resigned from her position.
"Considering the lengthy effort that scheduling Mr. Trump deposition required and that a stay might result in substantial delay of the conclusion of this action, plaintiffs will oppose any stay and expect to promptly request relief from any default stay that is imposed," counsel wrote in a court filing submitted Thursday.
Trump is scheduled to be deposed for two hours on October 17, following previous depositions of FBI Director Christopher Wray and other FBI and DOJ officials.
"We expect the deposition to go forward as scheduled and have no further comment on the filing," Amy Jeffress, an attorney representing Page, told Newsweek via email.
Counsel for Strzok declined to speak with Newsweek on the record.
In July, Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected a DOJ motion not to depose Trump as lawyers argued that the former president's presence as part of the proceedings was "not appropriate."
Trump's "schedule appears to be able to accommodate other civil litigation that he has initiated," she said.
Strzok and Page have expressed regret about their text communications during a period when they were romantically involved. Strzok, who once called Trump a counterintelligence threat, has said he wished he didn't casually comment in the manner he did—behavior that ultimately reflected negatively on the FBI.
The pair suggested they could stop Trump from becoming president, according to text messages in the DOJ Inspector General's report on the investigation into Clinton's private email server.
Trump is also dealing with his state and federal cases following four indictments. One of the cases, involving his alleged actions on January 6, 2021, is not viewed by legal experts as being affected by a shutdown.
Craig Trocino, a law professor at the University of Miami, said the longer a shutdown lasts, the more focus on core functions and positions.
"It's a bad look," he said. "The optics of it are terrible, to essentially take direction from Donald Trump to shut down the government. It seems like bad policy to want to do this, but the U.S. justice system will continue to march on."
