An ex-FBI lawyer whose texts sparked a political furor two years ago has finally spoken out against Donald Trump.
And the reason she finally broke her silence: "His demeaning fake orgasm".
Lisa Page first made headlines when texts between FBI agent Peter Strzok and her came to light.
The texts, which were critical of Trump, came under fire because Strzok went on to be part of Robert Mueller's team to investigate the US President's ties with Russia. Trump claimed the texts proved the investigation lacked neutrality.
Both argued that their personal opinions would never influence their professional behaviour, however Page left the bureau in May 2018, while Strzok was fired a few months later.
Since that time, Page has remained tight-lipped about the controversy. In an interview with the Daily Beast published on Sunday (local time), however, she finally broke her silence.
"I had stayed quiet for years hoping it would fade away, but instead it got worse," she told the Daily Beast. "It had been so hard not to defend myself, to let people who hate me control the narrative. I decided to take my power back."
The catalyst for that shift came when Trump spoke at a rally in Minnesota in October, she said.
On stage, Trump read from texts between Page and Strzok, reenacting an interaction between the pair while appearing to pretend to have an orgasm.
"I love you, Peter. I love you too Lisa. Lisa, I love you. Lisa, Lisa, O God, I love you, Lisa," Trump told his supporters.
Page told the Daily Beast after seeing the President's speech she couldn't take it anymore.
"Honestly, his demeaning fake orgasm was really the straw that broke the camel's back," she said, when asked why she finally decided to break her silence.
She said it was "sickening" how Trump had treated her since the texts were made public.
"It's almost impossible to describe. It's like being punched in the gut. My heart drops to my stomach when I realise he has tweeted about me again. The President of the United States is calling me names to the entire world. He's demeaning me and my career. It's sickening."
A Justice Department report on how the FBI conducted its investigation into Trump's administration and Russian interference is due out on December 9. According to The New York Times, a leaked draft of the report exonerates the FBI of any improper activity during their investigation, though it does criticise FBI leaders for various errors and omissions.
