A judge on Thursday ruled that former President Donald Trump must sit for a deposition in a lawsuit brought by former FBI agent Peter Strzok.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson denied the Department of Justice’s motion for reconsideration that would have blocked Trump from deposing in ex-FBI agent Strzok's lawsuit filed in 2019. Strzok filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department after he was fired, claiming the DOJ violated his First Amendment rights by releasing his private text messages with former FBI lawyer Lisa Page and claiming that he was wrongfully terminated. Page sued the FBI for allegedly violating the Privacy Act.
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“Given the limited nature of the deposition that has been ordered, and the fact that the former President’s schedule appears to be able to accommodate other civil litigation that he has initiated, the outcome of the balancing required by the apex doctrine remains the same for all of the reasons previously stated,” Jackson wrote in a brief order.
Jackson had ruled in February that Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray could be deposed on a narrow set of topics in the lawsuit, and the depositions would be limited to two hours. Wray met with attorneys in a closed-door deposition on June 27, according to ABC News.
The DOJ filed a motion on Wednesday to block Trump from deposing, arguing that it was unnecessary after receiving sworn testimony from Wray, Trump's second chief of staff, John Kelly, and former Associate Deputy Attorney General Scott Schools.
"The new evidence also consists of other sworn testimony from key, high-level government officials with direct knowledge of the former President’s communications (or lack thereof) regarding Mr. Strzok and Ms. Page. The availability of that evidence to Mr. Strzok means the deposition of former President Trump is not appropriate," a redacted version of the filing said.
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Jackson’s motion Thursday evening denies the DOJ's request to bar Trump from testifying.
“While to the extent the individuals deposed to date recalled the events in question, their testimony did not advance plaintiffs' theory that the former President was involved in the decision making at issue in this case, the fact remains that the former President himself has publicly boasted of his involvement,” Jackson said.