by Chuck Ross
President Donald Trump took aim Tuesday at Glenn Simpson and Bruce Ohr, two central figures in a congressional investigation into the FBI and Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of the infamous Steele dossier.
In a series of tweets, Trump noted that Simpson, the founder of opposition research firm Fusion GPS, is planning to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination during a congressional appearance Tuesday.
Trump noted Ohr, a DOJ official, provided testimony to Congress in August that directly conflicts with what Simpson told the House Intelligence Committee in November.
Ohr told lawmakers Aug. 28 that he met Simpson twice, once in August 2016 and once in December 2016. That conflicts with Simpson’s Nov. 14, 2017, testimony in which he claimed only to have had contact with Ohr after the election.
“Conflict between Glen Simpson’s testimony to another House Panel about his contact with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. Ohr was used by Simpson and Steele as a Back Channel to get (FAKE) Dossier to FBI. Simpson pleading Fifth,” Trump wrote, quoting Fox News’s Catherine Herridge.
“Where is Jeff Sessions?” Trump asked, referring to the attorney general.
“Conflict between Glen Simpson’s testimony to another House Panel about his contact with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. Ohr was used by Simpson and Steele as a Back Channel to get (FAKE) Dossier to FBI. Simpson pleading Fifth.” Catherine Herridge. Where is Jeff Sessions?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
Trump also pointed to Ohr’s wife, a Russia expert named Nellie who worked for Fusion GPS while the firm was investigating Trump.
Is it really possible that Bruce Ohr, whose wife Nellie was paid by Simpson and GPS Fusion for work done on the Fake Dossier, and who was used as a Pawn in this whole SCAM (WITCH HUNT), is still working for the Department of Justice????? Can this really be so?????
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
Bruce Ohr was demoted as assistant deputy attorney general in December 2017 after reports surfaced of his wife’s link to Fusion GPS.
Ohr served as the FBI’s unofficial back channel to Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the dossier.
Ohr and Steele were in frequent email and text message contact. They also met on July 30, 2016, a day before the FBI opened its investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government.
Ohr remained in contact with Steele even after the FBI cut ties with the dossier author just before the election for unauthorized contacts with the media. Ohr briefed the FBI at least 12 times through May 2017 about his interactions with Steele.
Simpson also failed to disclose that Nellie Ohr worked for Fusion GPS, which was working on behalf of the DNC and Clinton campaign.
Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe, a Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Sunday that Simpson is in “real legal jeopardy” over his inconsistent statements.
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Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Chuck on Twitter.
