Republicans tried to humiliate FBI agent Peter Strozk. It backfired spectacularly.
Before stepping down in August 2017, FBI agent Peter Strzok led Hillary Clinton's email investigation, and later led the bureau's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
He's also become a target of Republicans for unearthed text messages that show him and his then-partner criticizing President Trump and dismissing his chances of winning the White House. That's led some, including the president himself, to assert that Strzok was derelict in his duty.
On July 12, Strzok appeared before a congressional committee where Republicans tried to corner him. But they didn't realize what he'd do next.
Strzok gave an impassioned two-minute speech in which he explained why the claims against him are harmful to American democracy and those who work to defend it.
Strzok didn't deny that he's no fan of Trump, but he made it clear he never brought those feelings into work. "I can assure you, at no time in any of these texts did those personal beliefs ever enter into any realm of any action I took," he said.
He turned the spotlight away from himself and placed it on his colleagues.
"This isn't just me sitting here. You don't have to take my word for it," he said, insisting that even if he tried to do something improper to affect the 2016 election against Trump or another candidate, "they would not tolerate any improper behavior in me anymore than I would tolerate it in them. That is who we are as the FBI."
He wasn't suggesting the FBI or any government agency is above criticism. However, he did say that accusing them of meddling in our elections — an accusation made by both Clinton and Trump supporters — is going a step too far.
"The suggestion that it is going on, that it might occur anywhere in the FBI, deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society, the effectiveness of their mission, and it is deeply destructive," Strzok said.
The whole thing backfired on his accusers. On his show Thursday night, Jimmy Kimmel riffed on the testimony, joking that "when you see some of them actually speak, it's shocking. They desperately want to use this to discredit the whole investigation."
All government officials should be held accountable, but attacking people to score political points is bad for democracy.
In just over two minutes, Strzok made the stakes clear: It's not about one person or even one election. With all the challenges we collectively face as a nation, we'll be ill-equipped to succeed if we're busy tearing each other down.
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
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Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
What I'd give to be able to throw a tantrum like that.
To any parent dealing with a toddler tantrum—Godspeed.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."