Former FBI attorney Lisa Page agreed Thursday to comply with her subpoena to testify, the day after lawmakers threatened to hold her in contempt of Congress.
“Lisa Page has finally agreed to appear before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees for a transcribed interview tomorrow,” House Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said in a statement Thursday. “This decision is long overdue.”
Although Goodlatte issued a subpoena compelling Page (pictured above left) to testify Wednesday, the former FBI lawyer skipped the hearing altogether. Her lawyer, Amy Jeffress, told CNN Wednesday that “we have asked the committees to schedule another date that would allow sufficient time for her to prepare. The committees have not honored this request. As a result, Lisa is not going to appear for an interview at this time.”
But Page appeared to be singing a different tune after lawmakers threatened to hold her in contempt and take other drastic measures if she failed to testify by Friday.
“As part of the committees’ joint investigation into decisions made by the Justice Department in 2016, we have sought [Page’s] testimony for seven months, ultimately resulting in a subpoena demanding her presence,” Goodlatte said Thursday. “Lisa Page is a key witness in our investigation, and we need to hear from her about her role related to certain decisions made by the department and bureau.”
Page became a point of interest for congressional investigators after her text messages disparaging President Donald Trump and sympathizing with 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton came to light.
Page participated in the FBI’s politically charged investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct official business as secretary of state. She also engaged in a relationship with FBI agent Peter Strzok, a former top counterintelligence official who participated in both the Clinton investigation and special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into allegations of collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia.
Mueller removed Strzok from his team after the anti-Trump and pro-Clinton text messages came to his attention. Strzok testified before congressional committees behind closed doors in late June before testifying Thursday in a public hearing.
Related: Page Faces Contempt Charge and More if She Doesn’t Testify This Week
After Page skipped her Wednesday hearing, Goodlatte took to Twitter, writing, “Lisa Page plans to blatantly defy a congressional subpoena by refusing to appear for her deposition. She is a key witness, and it is critical that she come before @HouseJudiciary to answer questions as part of our investigation. It appears she has something to hide.”
Lisa Page plans to blatantly defy a congressional subpoena by refusing to appear for her deposition. She is a key witness, and it is critical that she come before @HouseJudiciary to answer questions as part of our investigation. It appears she has something to hide.
— Bob Goodlatte (@RepGoodlatte) July 11, 2018
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, warned Wednesday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that lawmakers would hold Page in contempt of Congress or employ other “constitutional ways” to punish her if she continued to refuse to comply with the subpoena.
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