The son of a prominent House Republican blasted his father’s role in the saga leading up to FBI agent Peter Strzok’s ouster, less than a day after he announced that he was supporting the Democratic candidate to succeed his father.
“I’m deeply embarrassed that Peter Strzok’s career was ruined by my father’s political grandstanding. That committee hearing was a low point for Congress,” Bobby Goodlatte, the son of House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, tweeted Monday. “Thank you for your service sir. You are a patriot.”
The FBI deputy director ordered Strzok’s termination on Friday, his attorney revealed Monday. The embattled agent had been removed from the special counsel probe into Russian interference last year for sending anti-Donald Trump text messages. Strzok testified before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees in a fiery, nearly 10-hour-long hearing in July.
On Sunday, Bobby Goodlatte voiced his support for the Democrat running for his father’s seat and encouraged others to do the same.
“I just gave the maximum allowed donation to Jennifer Lewis, a democrat running for my father’s congressional seat,” Bobby Goodlatte wrote on Twitter. “I’ve also gotten 5 other folks to commit to donate the max. 2018 is the year to flip districts — let’s do this!”
Rep. Bob Goodlatte has represented Virginia’s 6th Congressional District since 1993. He announced in November 2017 that he would not seek re-election.
Bobby Goodlatte did not immediately provide any explanation for his support for Lewis, and multiple requests for additional comment were not immediately returned Monday. Rep. Goodlatte’s office and Lewis’ campaign also did not immediately respond.
Lewis is “a mental health worker, community advocate, and leader in the fight against the Atlantic Coast Pipeline,” according to her campaign website. She is running against Ben Cline, a Republican Virginia state delegate, for Goodlatte’s vacant seat. CNN rates the race as Solid Republican.
Replying to a comment on Twitter about his support of Lewis, Bobby Goodlatte wrote, that it “(certainly) wasn’t an easy decision.”
“Has been so moving to have friends back me up on this one,” he wrote in a separate comment. “Let’s flip the 6th.”
CNN’s Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
