Justice Department official Bruce Ohr’s congressional testimony undercuts testimony given by Glenn Simpson, the founder of the opposition firm that commissioned the infamous Steele dossier.
Ohr’s testimony, a transcript of which was published Friday, also confirms reports that Simpson was the source of a heavily disputed allegation about conservative attorney Cleta Mitchell.
Ohr told lawmakers in an Aug. 28, 2018 hearing that he met Simpson prior to the 2016 election to discuss information gathered by Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the dossier. That conflicts with Simpson’s testimony to the House Intelligence Committee that he met Ohr only after the election and at Ohr’s request.
Ohr also revealed Simpson provided him during a meeting in December 2016 with a seemingly false lead about Mitchell that ended up in a news article published in 2018.
Both of Simpson’s inaccurate claims have been reported in the past, but they were not officially confirmed until Friday, when Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins released a transcript of Ohr’s testimony before the House Judiciary and House Oversight Committees.
In his interview, Ohr discussed his interactions with Simpson and Steele, a former MI6 officer. Ohr served as a back channel between Steele and the FBI after the 2016 election. He met twice with both Simpson and Steele to exchange information that Steele gathered as part of the dossier project.
Some Republican lawmakers have suggested that Simpson lied about the timeline of his interactions with Ohr, whose wife worked as a contractor for Fusion GPS. Texas GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe said on Oct. 14, 2018 that Simpson faced “real legal jeopardy” over his testimony. Simpson pleaded the Fifth two days later to avoid testifying to the House Judiciary and House Oversight Committees.
The testimony that could land Simpson in hot water took place before the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 14, 2017. In the closed-door hearing, Simpson acknowledged that he met with Ohr, but he claimed that the meeting occurred after the 2016 election. He also suggested that Ohr sought the meeting.
Ohr’s testimony conflicts directly with both claims.
Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson at the Rayburn Office Building on Capitol Hill on Oct. 16, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
Ohr said that he met twice with Simpson, on Aug. 22, 2016 and again on Dec. 10, 2016. He also testified that it was Simpson who reached out to him, and not the other way around.
Simpson revealed his contacts with Ohr after being asked in the November 2017 hearing whether he had heard from anyone at the FBI or Justice Department about his and Steele’s investigation of President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
“After the election. I mean, during the election, no,” Simpson said.
“What did you hear after and from whom and when?” a House staffer asked.
“I was asked to provide some information to the Justice Department,” Simpson replied.
When asked who contacted him and when, Simpson said: “It was by a prosecutor named Bruce Ohr, who was following up. You know, I can’t remember when. It was sometime after Thanksgiving, I think.”
“Did Mr. Ohr reach out to you, or how did that shake out?” he was asked.
Simpson did not acknowledge that he reached out to Ohr. Instead, he said that Steele had been in touch with Ohr “and that Bruce wanted more information.” Steele and Ohr had met on July 30, 2016.
Simpson claimed again that his interaction with Ohr occurred only after the election.
“The context of this is that it was after the election,” said Simpson. “A very surprising thing had happened, which is that Donald Trump had won. There was — we were — by that time, we were enormously concerned about rapidly accumulating indications that the Russian Government had mounted a massive attack on the American election system and that, you know, Donald Trump or his associates might have been involved.”
Ohr suggested in his testimony that Simpson initiated the December 2016 meeting. He also said that Simpson provided him with a memory stick that he wanted given to the FBI. That would seem to conflict with Simpson’s testimony that he was asked to provide information to the Justice Department and that Ohr requested the information.
“So, as I think I may have mentioned earlier, Glenn Simpson wanted to meet in early December, whatever date that was in December. At that meeting, he provided me with a memory stick and provided some additional details on information about possible connections between the Russian Government and the Trump campaign,” Ohr testified.
Since the left has suddenly taken an interest in perjury, charges should certainly be pursued. I am CERTAIN no Democrats would disagree.
I guess whenever the left needs to vilify something nowadays, simply tie it in to the Russians. The Russians funneling money into the NRA was always ludicrous, but liberals only need something to believe; it doesn’t necessarily have to be believable.
It would be interesting to watch the left square their Russiaphobia with a Bernie candidacy.
@Deplorable Me: Bernie has to pledge as a democrat. The communist and democrat platforms are near identical anyway.
Dont worry about Glen he has the misspoke thing or no intent to lie or commit perjury, his company plays both sides, anyones filthy lucre spends the same.
Ohrs in the thick of it and his wifey, I would take any testimony at less than face value for the treasonous lot of them.
Welcome back Curt well sort of
What’s up with FA? Maintenance?
@Deplorable Me: F’N Russians