Bruce Ohr had 'ethics' worries before meeting with Congress

Bruce Ohr and Christopher Steele

Former Justice Department official Bruce Ohr was concerned about "ethics issues" before he testified to Congress, according to documents obtained by Judicial Watch.

"Bruce Ohr was the conflicted center of the Clinton-DNC effort to launder fraudulent Russia material into the Justice Department and FBI," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "These documents show that Bruce Ohr was aware enough to look for advice – or look for cover – on ethics issue."

Ohr served as a liaison between former British spy Christopher Steele, the author of the anti-Trump dossier commissioned by Fusion GPS, and the DOJ.

Funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, the dossier was used by the DOJ and FBI to obtain a warrant to spy on the Trump campaign.

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Fitton noted Ohr's wife, Fusion GPS employee Nellie Ohr, "had chummy relationships with various Justice Department officials, which illustrates perfectly why it was so easy for Fusion GPS to sell its anti-Trump Dossier scam."

The new documents reveal, Judicial Watch said, "Ohr in his January 2018 preparation to testify to the Senate and House intelligence committees wrote to a lawyer about "possible ethics concerns."

Ohr forwarded the email to his wife, who had been hired by Fusion GPS.

Judicial Watch has filed numerous FOIA requests in its investigation of the origins of the Obama administration's probes of Russia and the Trump campaign.

A Jan. 3, 2018, email from Bruce Ohr to Justice Department ethics lawyer Cynthia Shaw said the Senate and House intelligence committees had requested to interview him about investigations into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In the email, he noted that a number of media reports had been published about his "alleged" connections to Steele.

He asked Shaw a question, which is largely redacted, seeking information about "possible ethics concerns."

"My question has to do with [redacted]. Are there any guidelines for [redacted] in order to satisfy any possible ethics concerns?"

The documents also shows a relationship between Nellie Ohr and DOJ Russia experts Lisa Holtyn, Joseph Wheatley and Ivana Nizich.

Judicial Watch said it previously released other DOJ documents that detail numerous contacts with Steele and many other communications between Nellie Ohr and Ohr's DOJ colleagues.

While Democrats for two years insisted evidence of Trump campaign collusion with Russia was "in plain sight," special counsel Robert Mueller concluded in a report made public this month there was no collusion.

Judicial Watch previously released documents showing Steele "secretly worked hand-in-glove with the Justice Department on its illicit targeting of President Trump."

Explained Judicial Watch at the time: "These documents leave no doubt that for more than a year after the FBI fired Christopher Steele for leaking, and for some 10 months after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, Bruce Ohr continued to act as a go-between for Steele with the FBI and Justice Department."