Why Do CNN and MSNBC Insist on Turning to Peter Strzok as an Expert Analyst?
Peter Strzok is an odd sight to see on cable news these days. He’s regularly popped up in interviews and on panels to discuss the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property and on the surface, it appears to make sense to have him as a guest. After all, Strzok is a former FBI agent.
Strzok’s name, however, is not known to most for his service to the FBI, but rather for the way it all came crashing down. The vocal Trump critic was dismissed from the FBI in 2018 after text messages between him and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page came out (It should be noted that Strzok has been embroiled in a lawsuit over his firing). As part of Robert Mueller’s nowhere investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia, Strzok was texting Page troublesome messages about stopping Trump from becoming president. In one exchange, he said they “won’t allow” Trump to win the presidency.
This controversy is what makes Strzok’s appearances so bizarre — as he’s mainly been tasked with discussing an investigation that itself is under scrutiny for alleged political bias. Whether one buys into that theory or not, it’s odd to have Strzok be the expert or voice of reason on bias within the FBI and Department of Justice.
No network seems to enjoy having him on more than CNN, which has trotted Strzok out at least eight times in the last month.
In an appearance this week on CNN Newsroom, Strzok pushed back against accusations there is political bias against Trump and Republicans by calling it “nonsense.”
“First off, there is more than a yearlong investigation, extraordinarily intrusive into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the time she was running for President of the United States. So I don’t want to hear that this is some sort of one-sided Department of Justice or FBI who only investigates Republicans. That’s nonsense,” he said.
Whether he’s right or wrong is not really the point here. His words ring about as hollow as Dick Cheney giving a MasterClass on justified wars.
CNN’s preference for Strzok’s “expertise” is especially head-scratching considering the number of changes the network is undergoing since falling under the umbrella of the newly-formed Warner Bros. Discovery. Reports have suggested a motivation to move to a more political middle ground and big shifts have gone through (CNN+ nixed, Brian Stelter’s departure) with more to come, according to CEO Chris Licht.
Strzok is not someone who will ever be able to authoritatively speak on bias within the FBI, unless you agree with his politics. Strzok makes his Trump feelings known far and wide (he’s one of about a million with a book about the former president), and that’s why his “expertise” only further arouses suspicion with conservatives, especially those loyal to Trump. No conservative is going to flip on CNN and take what Strzok says without a truck load of salt.
Strzok shows no signs of going anywhere. He appeared Monday night on CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight, and he’s also made numerous appearances on MSNBC where he’s thrown out similar defenses of the FBI. They are defenses, however, that only play to one side, which is made worse by the fact that he’s already discussing an issue where two sides are digging their heels in.
Strzok has appeared on MSNBC at least six times this month, including a Morning Joe interview where he dismissed the idea that the FBI is “targeting one side or the other.” Many of these guest spots, however, are with commentators open about their Trump opposition. That network is also not the one going through major shifts in its news coverage.
While he’s often introduced as the “former chief of counterespionage” on CNN, Fox News covers him as “disgraced FBI agent,” while outlets like National Review question why this is the man chosen to defend the FBI’s “integrity.”
Peter Strzok is the frozen-too-long Thanksgiving leftovers that keep getting reheated, but you just can’t get rid of the stink. If CNN and others want to defy accusations of bias and cover the Mar-a-Lago raid from a neutral position with real expertise, turning to a guy let go for alleged political bias against the guy who owns Mar-a-Lago is not a good look, and it never will be.
Check out one of Strzok’s latest appearances above via CNN.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
