A DOJ attempt to block the deposition of former President Donald Trump as part of a lawsuit by two former FBI agents against the bureau has been denied by an appeals court judge, paving the way for it to go forward.
The DOJ had argued that Trump was not directly involved in the firing of agent Peter Strzok in 2017 and the resignation of Lisa Page in 2018 when their text messages disparaging Trump became public along with their affair with each other.
Trump frequently criticized the pair, who were part of the Robert Mueller investigation into Trump's alleged collusion with Russia.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had ruled earlier this year that Trump could be deposed, saying that although he probably wasn't involved in their being taken off their assignments in 2017, he had boasted that he was, and a further look was warranted.
The three-judge panel voted 2-1 not to block the deposition, with both Democrat appointees voting not to block.
Strzok's lawyers didn't comment on the ruling, and Page's legal team said in an email to NBC News that “the order is very clear and speaks for itself.”
Strzok is suing for wrongful termination, while Page is saying her privacy was violated when the text messages were released.
Page has also said that her reputation was damaged, which has impacted her earning power.
It says a lot that they both feel that they were wronged by the government when they were engaging in all kinds of impropriety while collecting a government paycheck.
But what exactly does Trump have to do with it all?
If Trump says he was involved in Strzok's termination and what Page has said is the destruction of her career, it could make their lawsuits against the government more likely to succeed.
His deposition makes at least the sixth legal case he is involved in as he tries to campaign for president in 2024.
There are currently four indictments against him and an ongoing defamation and sexual abuse case by E. Jean Carroll against the former president.
Some Republicans have said that the plethora of indictments amount to election interference, both because they put negative information about Trump before the public and because they are bound to take up a lot of his time and prevent him from effectively campaigning for president.
