Brian Netter Approved $2M Payout to Russia Hoaxers

The Department of Justice (DOJ) official who approved a $2 million in settlements for disgraced Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page — whose anti-Trump texts became central to allegations of political bias in the bureau’s 2016 Trump-Russia probe — is a left-wing activist, according to a Friday report.

Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by the Center to Advance Security in America in 2024, it was revealed the DOJ’s former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Federal Programs Branch, Brian Netter, was responsible for approving the settlement agreements, according to The Federalist.

Netter, who served under Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland, has since been working as the Legal Director for Democracy Forward.

The group is a “national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education, and regulatory engagement,” according to the group’s website. The website also claims that those “responsible for January 6th have returned to power.”

Democracy Forward is chaired by Marc Elias, whose law group represented clients in 48 lawsuits regarding the challenges brought by GOP candidates concerning election issues or changes made in election laws following the 2020 election.

While under Garland, Netter opposed Trump’s motion for a preliminary injunction that would halt the release of presidential records to the January 6 committee.

Garland helped officiate the wedding between Netter and Karen Dunn, according to the New York Times.

Dunn, a Democrat lawyer and activist in her own right, recently founded a firm with Jeannie Rhee, a former attorney for the Clinton Foundation who helped Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigate allegations the Trump campaign colluded with Russia..

Mueller ultimately found no evidence of collusion.

Strzok and Page claimed the 2017 leaking of their private messages on their government-issued devices from a year prior was a violation of their privacy, according to The Federalist.

The texts not only reputedly showed direct criticism of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump but also referenced an “insurance policy” in the case that Trump became president.

“I want to believe the path you threw out in [former FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe’s] office—that there’s no way he gets elected—but I’m afraid we can’t take the risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40,” a pre-2016 election text from Strzok to Page said, according to Fox News.

In transcripts released by House Judiciary Committee Republicans in 2019, Page interpreted the text to mean that although they didn’t expect Trump to win the election, the investigation should move forward in case there was a connection between Trump and Russia.

The text was sent after the opening of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation and during the same time frame as what was shown in Thursday’s release of the Durham annex.

The annex showed the FBI ignored information suggesting Hillary Clinton’s campaign planned to falsely link Trump to Russian organized crime.

Strzok and Page settled with $1.2 million and $800,000, respectively, according to Politico.