Edward William “Bill” Priestap (also E.W. and E. William) is the FBI official Director James B. Comey named Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division. Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz later identified him as the official who decided to open Crossfire Hurricane. This page is identity only. The episodes live in the posts. This is not the biography he would write.
Identity
About E.W. “Bill” Priestap
Titles and dates come from the FBI announcement, the OIG review, his Senate statement, and his later firm bio. Emphasis is the compiler’s. Identity confidence: high. One notable public official matches. No free-license portrait of him was used; none was generated.
Documented roles
- 1998. Entered the FBI, Chicago: organized crime and drugs. FBI press release.
- After 2001-09-11. Counterterrorism, Chicago. Same release.
- 2003. Supervisory special agent, Office of Congressional Affairs; detailed to Senate HSGAC on IRTPA 2004. Same release.
- 2005. Special assistant to the Assistant Director, Directorate of Intelligence. Same release.
- 2006–2013. New York Field Office; later ASAC for intelligence and counterintelligence; 2012 section chief, CI Division, FBIHQ; 2013 SAC, Counterintelligence, New York. Same release.
- Then. Deputy Assistant Director, Intelligence Operations Branch, Directorate of Intelligence. Same release.
- Dec. 2015–Dec. 2018 (Strider dates; FBI: reports early January 2016). Assistant Director, Counterintelligence Division. FBI; Strider bio.
- July 31, 2016. OIG: he made the decision to open Crossfire Hurricane. Horowitz statement.
- Dec. 5, 2018. Written Senate Judiciary testimony on Chinese non-traditional espionage. Senate PDF.
- Early / April 2019. Retired from the FBI (Strider; Fox 2020-04-30; Epoch Times on the 2018 eligibility announcement).
- Later. Centennial Fellow, Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Service; private adviser on nation-state risk (Strider).
- Education as published by FBI. Attorney; master’s degrees in business administration and education administration.
What this site is not
It is not a finding that Bill Priestap committed a crime. An Inspector General review is not a court. Horowitz’s sentence about his opening decision is not a clearance of every FISA error in Crossfire Hurricane. A Graham referral threat is not an indictment. Durham’s description of a limited interview is not a conviction. This site does not invent quotes, titles, or a hoax-opening verdict the record does not carry.
It is not a White House product. It is not lawsuit-proof. Read the posts.