E.W. “Bill” Priestap (Edward W. / Edward William) is the FBI official named Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division by Director James B. Comey. DOJ OIG attributes to him the July 31, 2016 decision to open Crossfire Hurricane. No second equally notable public Bill Priestap was found for this file. This page is identity only.
Identity
About Bill Priestap
This site is case-file commentary on official acts and primary records of a public figure. He is a former FBI Counterintelligence Assistant Director — not a judge. Titles and dates come from the FBI press release, DOJ OIG, Durham report, Senate PDF, and the Flynn docket. Identity confidence: high. Official FBI portrait (U.S. government work). Episodes live on the home case file.
Documented roles
- 1998–. Entered FBI Chicago (organized crime/drugs) — FBI AD announcement.
- Post-9/11. Counterterrorism, Chicago; later Office of Congressional Affairs / Senate HSGAC detail on IRTPA 2004; Directorate of Intelligence; NYFO ASAC intel/CI; CI section chief HQ; SAC Counterintelligence NYFO; Deputy AD, Intelligence Operations Branch — FBI release.
- ~Dec 2015–Dec 2018. Assistant Director, Counterintelligence Division (FBI PR; Strider bio dates).
- Jul 31, 2016. OIG: opened Crossfire Hurricane.
- Dec 12, 2018. Senate Judiciary written testimony on China talent programs.
- Early 2019. Retired from FBI (speaker/Strider bios).
- Later. Georgetown Walsh SFS Centennial Fellow; Strider Technologies adviser (public bios). Not a judicial office.
What this site is not
It is not a court and not a finding that Priestap committed a personal crime. OIG’s sentence that it did not find documentary evidence bias drove his opening decision is not a clearance of FISA or the whole Bureau. Declining a Durham interview is not an indictment. Graham’s Steele-briefing allegation stays labeled. It is not a White House product. Read the case file and the disclaimer.